BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Deshaun Watson will not practice or play this week as the Browns begin preparations for a trip to Seattle this weekend.
Here’s our top Brownie Bites as we all remain day-to-day, or in Watson's case, week-to-week.
Watson out – Watson will spend the week rehabbing his right rotator cuff strain after being held out of Sunday’s 39-38 win over the Colts following a big hit. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski made the decision to sit Watson this week to allow his right shoulder to calm down. “Deshaun's going to focus on his rehab,” Stefanski said. “I just feel like with what happened in the game landing on his shoulder, there's residual swelling that's affecting his throwing. I think it's the best thing for him to rest this week and focus on the rehab.” Watson cleared concussion tests after being thrown down by Colts defensive end Dayo Odeyingo in the first quarter in Indianapolis. Watson completed one pass for five yards with an interception before departing. When Watson will return appears to be a week-to-week situation. “He's trying like crazy,” Stefanski said. “This is not for lack of effort. He's making every effort he can to be out there, but with the hit he took, I just felt like, and with the swelling makes the most sense to focus on rehab this week and then he'll be out there as soon as he's ready.” Watson, who had just returned after resting three weeks from a rotator cuff strain, hit the back of his head on the turf after throwing a deep ball to Elijah Moore that almost was intercepted but was overruled following a replay review prompting the concussion test, but his right shoulder also took a hit. “I felt like with that hit, I just didn't like that right on the shoulder and then coming out of it with swelling, I just did not feel like that would put him in his best spot to practice this week,” Stefanski said. An MRI didn’t reveal any further structural damage, but Watson could need additional tests once the swelling subsides. Stefanski remains adamant surgery will not be required.
Roster moves – Walker was signed to the active roster from the practice squad so he can start this weekend. “Sometimes as a backup you get that amount of lead time, sometimes you don't and that's just life in the big city when it comes to backup quarterbacks,” Stefanski said. “So he'll prepare like he always does. Dorian will prepare like he always does, but PJ will start this week.” Walker, who has been the No. 2 QB the last few weeks while Watson has dealt with his shoulder injury, was out of game day elevations. Walker has completed 33 of 66 passes for 370 yards with three interceptions. It doesn’t appear the Browns will make additional movers in the QB room. “I'm comfortable with the guys we have,” Stefanski said. With running back Jerome Ford in a walking boot and expected to miss multiple weeks, the Browns also signed running backs Nate McCrary and Jordan Wilkins to the practice squad. One of those two will likely be elevated for Sunday’s game. “I do know, but you'll see later in the week,” Stefanski said.
Players of the Week – To the surprise of no one, Browns defensive end Myles Garrett was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week and kicker Dustin Hopkins the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. “Well, very well deserving, so whoever votes on that, they got this one right,” Stefanski said. “Dustin's been awesome. I enjoy having him around. A good person fits really well with our team. He was a game captain last week. The guys made him a game captain and then he came through and played like that kick like that. And then Myles, I mean, yeah, I'm running out of [things to say]. You guys are the wordsmiths. He's doing things that not many humans can do.” Garrett registered nine tackles, two strip-sacks, a pass breakup and a blocked field goal in the 39-38 win over the Colts. “He's a freak, man. He's one of a kind, really,” safety Grant Delpit said. “I think he's the best edge rusher in the game. We're going to see that throughout the whole season. Not too many guys I've seen guys jump over...that was crazy. He never fails to surprise me. So he's playing championship ball right now.” Hopkins, who won the award for the second consecutive week, made four field goals – 58, two from 54 and a 44-yarder. “For me professionally, that was probably the best game I've ever had,” Hopkins said. He is the first kicker in NFL history to make from beyond 50 yards in five consecutive games and he is 7-7 beyond 50 yards this season after coming into this season with a 50% make percentage from that distance. “I don't feel different,” Hopkins said. “It's interesting because early on I've always felt like coming out of college it was one of my strong suits. And then I think over the course of time, maybe you play for certain teams that don't like to kick long field goals, or other guys get more 50 plus opportunities. And then when you do get an opportunity, maybe you miss, maybe you miss one, and then the coach is like, well, I don't want to kick more, even though it was only a couple. Or sometimes you get late opportunities late in the year instead of early on in the year. So I think several things, like I'm glad that we've been in a good rhythm and hitting the ball well, but also getting opportunities early for deeper kicks is better.” This is the second time that the Browns have had two AFC Player of the Week winners in the same week, joining linebacker Pepper Johnson (Defensive) and returner/receiver Eric Metcalf (Special Teams) during Week 8 in 1994.
Can't get 'em all – Colts owner Jim Irsay revealed on X Tuesday night that the NFL acknowledged blown calls late in Sunday’s loss to the Browns with the most egregious miss being the pass interference penalty that gave the Browns the ball at the one with less than a minute to play. “You turn in plays each week to the NFL, I think you can turn in up to 10, and they get back to you with what they felt was the correct call but not going to share that,” Stefanski said. Over the years the Browns have been on the wrong end of awful calls and gotten their fair share of ‘we blew that’ acknowledgements from the league office. “All the time,” Stefanski said. “And listen, you know that, I mean, they're human. We've been on both sides of it. That's never going to change. I mean, you just play the game.”
Injury report – DNP: RB Jerome Ford (ankle), WR Marquise Goodwin (back), RB Kareem Hunt (thigh), TE David Njoku (knee), LB Sione Takitaki (hamstring), QB Deshaun Watson (shoulder), WR Amari Cooper (rest), DE Za'Dsarius Smith (rest), LG Joel Bitonio (rest/knee); LIMITED: DE Ogbo Okoronkwo (ribs), LB Anthony Walker (shoulder), LT Jedrick Wills (foot/ankle); FULL: TE Harrison Bryant (hip), DE Alex Wright (concussion), LB Tony Fields (hip)