Set to start against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9, is Deshaun Watson finally OK?

Currently sitting on a record of 4-3, there couldn’t be a better time for the Browns to see the return of their star. On the other hand, it would be fair to assume that he’s not firing on all cylinders such that the question of whether his presence will make a difference still remains.

Deshaun Watson to start against Arizona Cardinals

According to comments from Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski on Friday, quarterback Deshaun Watson will in fact start against the Arizona Cardinals when the teams meet on Sunday. If you didn’t know, Watson has been struggling to recover from a right rotator cuff strain which has sidelined him for the majority of the team’s last four games. His most recent appearance was made on October 22nd when he started against the Indianapolis Colts. Unfortunately, the 28-year-old was unable to complete the Week 7 game after he was forced off the field following a hit to the same shoulder.

With that said, Watson was a full participant in practice on Friday which was of course a big improvement from the limited nature of his participation on both Wednesday and Thursday. Indeed, on Thursday Watson admitted that he “jumped the gun,” in the attempt to return, an idea that to some extent lays to rest the speculation that surrounded the severity of his injury. Do recall that prior to the team’s Week 4 loss to the Baltimore Ravens he had been listed as questionable, only to be ruled out just 90 minutes before kickoff, a decision that even surprised backup quarterback, Dorian Thompson, who ended up making his first NFL start. The day after the game, Stefanksi disclosed that it was Watson himself who chose to sit out the game even though he had been medically cleared. Needless to say, there were many who suggested that the signal caller was short-changing the team, an idea which he didn’t take kindly to.

What did Deshaun Watson say?

Prior to the above-mentioned game in Week 7 against the Colts, Watson actually shared previously undisclosed information about the “micro-tear” in his rotator cuff, explaining that it was about trusting in the medical process and treatment. He later went on to state that he was not worried about pain, but rather wanted to avoid putting the team at risk. As doubts mounted, Watson finally addressed the situation directly as he pushed back on the idea that he wasn’t doing all he could to help the team.

“I just worked my ass off for two years to get back to playing, so why wouldn’t I want to play?” Watson said to reporters last week. “I see the same things — I see all the narratives, this, that, and the third. All that stuff is just trying to cause controversy and commotion. I’m fine. I’m happy. I’m not happy with the injury. I’m in a great space mentally, I’m in a great space spiritually. Physically, everything else is in a great space but my shoulder, so we’re working hard to get that back. But why wouldn’t I want to play? I don’t do this for no other reason. I see that [talk] too, I see the whole contract situation [being brought up] and all that stuff.”

What does the future hold for Deshaun Watson and the Browns?

That’s a good question. On the one hand, it wasn’t that long ago that the Browns rocked the NFL by signing Watson to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract after acquiring him in a trade with the Texans. The first-of-its-kind deal resulted in the team having to let go of a number of Draft picks, which only served to cement the idea that it was all a mistake after what came next. That’s to say Watson was suspended for 11 games last season and fined to the tune of $5 million after 25 different women came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct on his part. While no criminal charges were filed against him, it’s safe to say that the damage was done. This of course brings us back to the present and the central matter of it all: football. In the time that he has been on the field this season the former Texans star completed 61.7% of his passes for 683 yards while registering four touchdown throws and three interceptions. Ultimately, while it’s clear he still has much to do in terms of proving that he’s worth the massive investment that the team made, the signs that he can do so are definitely there.