QB Deshaun Watson won't play in Browns' preseason finale

Field Level Media|published: Sat 24th August, 14:37 2024

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, center, walks back to the locker room before an NFL preseason football game against the Minnesota Vikings at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will not play Saturday in Cleveland's preseason finale on the road against the Seattle Seahawks, the team announced.

He is penciled in to start the regular-season opener on Sept. 8 against the Dallas Cowboys in Cleveland. However, he will do so without having appeared in a game since Nov. 12, 2023.

Watson, who turns 29 next month, is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and was inactive for 11 games in 2023 due to injuries.

Earlier, head coach Kevin Stefanski said the Browns planned to start Watson against the Seahawks, and the quarterback took part in practice on Tuesday. But what was called arm soreness limited him in practice on Wednesday, although Stefanski said Watson was "feeling fine."

He took his planned reps with the first team on Thursday.

Watson, a first-round draft pick of the Houston Texans in 2017, appeared in 54 games (53 starts) in his first four seasons in the NFL. But he sat out the 2021 season to force a trade out of Houston, and he landed in Cleveland in a blockbuster trade in 2022. He was suspended for the first 11 games of that season, however, after an NFL investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct involving massage therapists.

In all, Watson has played in 12 games in a Cleveland uniform, going 8-4 as a starter. He's completed 204 passes for 2,217 yards with 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

The Browns also have quarterbacks Jameis Winston, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Tyler Huntley on the roster.

--Field Level Media