The Browns won 11 games last season and skated into the playoffs despite QB Deshaun Watson making only six starts. Their hopes of a deep run in 2024, however, likely rest on improved quarterback play.
Whether Watson can get back to his early-career form is one major question surrounding the Browns, but whether Watson can actually stay on the field is perhaps even more important. Injury concerns followed Watson even when he was active in 2023, and surgery on his throwing shoulder ultimately brought his campaign to an end in November.
Watson has made just 12 starts over the past three seasons, making the quarterback position an area of concern for Cleveland until the former first-round pick proves it isn't. Now, a new ailment is sparking questions about Watson's availability.
Here's the latest on Watson's health and his status for Week 1.
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Deshaun Watson injury update
Watson was limited in Wednesday's Browns practice due to "general arm soreness," allowing Jameis Winston to receive the bulk of first-team reps.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski said he was "not overly concerned" about the soreness but didn't commit to playing Watson in the Browns' preseason finale after previously indicating the 28-year-old would play. On Saturday, Cleveland announced that it was holding Watson out of the contest. He is, however, expected to be part of the festivities come the Browns' season-opener against the Cowboys.
Arm soreness isn't typically a cause for much concern, but considering Watson's 2023 injury and lack of in-game reps over the past three years, it's something that could raise a red flag for Browns fans.
It can be difficult for quarterbacks to bounce right back from surgery on their throwing shoulder. Given how competitive the AFC North is expected to be, there might not be much of a grace period for Watson to get back up to speed.
Will Deshaun Watson be ready for Week 1 of regular season?
There is no indication at this point that Watson's Week 1 status is in doubt. Cleveland opens with a blockbuster matchup against the Cowboys, and it would be a colossal disappointment if Watson wasn't able to be on the field after missing most of 2023.
If Watson doesn't play in the Browns' preseason finale, though, speculation about his health and effectiveness could linger until he takes the field in Cleveland in Week 1.
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Browns QB depth chart
| Rank | QB |
| 1 | Deshaun Watson |
| 2 | Jameis Winston |
| 3 | Tyler Huntley |
| 4 | Dorian Thompson-Robinson |
The Browns let Joe Flacco walk after his impressive finish last season and instead added two experienced backups in Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley.
Winston has made 80 career starts, though only 10 have come in the last four seasons, while Huntley spent four years as the direct backup to Lamar Jackson in Baltimore and actually started a playoff game for the Ravens in 2022.
Winston appears to be locked into the No. 2 role behind Watson, making him the next man up if Watson's health is a larger problem than expected, while Huntley is battling Thompson-Robinson for the emergency quarterback role.
Thompson-Robinson impressed in the preseason a year ago but struggled mightily in three starts for the Browns in place of Watson, putting his roster spot in peril entering 2024.
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Deshaun Watson fantasy outlook 2024
Watson is already just a borderline top-20 fantasy quarterback (he ranked 20th in SN's fantasy QB rankings) and the latest injury concern is one reason why. Until he proves he can stay on the field, he's tough to trust as any fantasy team's top quarterback.
Does that make Watson an intriguing buy-low candidate, considering he still has a chance to play a full season? It's not out of the question, considering he was an elite fantasy option during his days with the Texans, and Cleveland has a formidable group of receiving weapons headlined by Amari Cooper, David Njoku, and Jerry Jeudy.
At the same time, Stefanski doesn't often embrace the high-octane passing offense he deployed more when Flacco was under center late last season. In a perfect world, Jerome Ford sets the tone out of the backfield until Nick Chubb returns and helps establish the running game as a major part of the offense.
With Chubb unlikely to take on a major workload when he returns, though, a healthy Watson would be worth keeping an eye on just in case that 2017-20 magic actually does return after three years to forget.
