Should Watson's Sore Shoulder be a Cause for Concern?
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The Cleveland Browns are looking to start the season 3-1 if they can defeat the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. Deshaun Watson definitely had his best performance as a Brown in the team's victory over Tennessee and is looking to carry that momentum forward.
Watson was limited in practice on Wednesday and didn't throw any passes as he attempts to rest a sore shoulder. Watson took a shot to his right throwing shoulder during a called quarterback run play in the second half on Sunday. You can watch the replay below as he leads into the defender by lowering his shoulder.
When asked about Watson's injury today during his media availability, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said, "we'll see today, we'll see how he feels when we get out there but we're confident he'll be able to go Sunday."
According to reports during the early portion of practice that is open to the media it appears that Watson did some light throwing and the other qb's took more reps during individual drills. In addition the open period seemed to be filled with more handoffs than normal.
The good news is that there was apparently no damage to the labrum or rotator cuff and its just a matter of dealing with the pain and inflammation caused by impact of the hit. Watson will also have additional time after this week as the team will have an early bye next week.
It could, however, cause head coach Kevin Stefanski to be a little more conservative in his play calling this week as you don't want your star quarterback to take any more hits. Watson will also need to do his part by doing a much better job of protecting himself.
His competitiveness can lead him to play a little reckless in regard to protecting himself. I'm hopeful that there will be a greater coaching emphasis to limit that without taking him away as a weapon.
Overall, it is clear he won't be at 100 percent this game but I don't think it should have any major impact on the overall outcome. The coaches may just be in a situation they have to manage and find a work-around. We will certainly be paying attention to practice tomorrow and any official injury designations.
