BEREA, Ohio — Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson took one series of 11-on-11 reps on Wednesday before watching the rest of practice from the side.
In the few reps he took, Watson connected with wide receivers Elijah Moore and Jerry Jeudy on some short passes. But after that, backup quarterback Jameis Winston took all of the first-team reps through 11-on-11s and 7-on-7s.
After practice, head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed that he had held Watson out for the rest of practice—a precaution for what was described as "general arm soreness."
"He's a little sore. I decided to hold back a little bit with him but not overly concerned," Stefanski said. "General arm soreness, but again, he practiced, I held him back. He could have gone, he's feeling fine."
Last week, Stefanski had confirmed the plan was for Watson to sit against the Vikings in the second preseason game but to play in the final preseason game Saturday against the Seahawks—which would be Watson's first game reps since the season-ending shoulder injury and surgery last November.
However, with tackles Jedrick Wills Jr. and Jack Conklin not yet practicing as they continue knee rehabs and injuries to backups James Hudson III and Hakeem Adeniji occurring in the game against the Vikings, the plan to play Watson seemed to turn into a toss-up.
"So all of our starters should expect to play," Stefanski said before practice Tuesday. "We'll determine who does or doesn’t, how many plays they do. Like I told you guys, in particular with Deshaun, I want to take in all the information this week and really make a final determination later in the week.”
After being noncommittal about the previous plan for Watson to play in the final preseason game against the Seahawks on Saturday, Stefanski is continuing to weigh the options before making a decision.
"I think for us, we want to just get through today, get to tomorrow, see where we are, make decisions on the game when we think it's appropriate. Don't think we have to rush into anything," Stefanski said.
The Browns will travel Thursday to Seattle, giving them time to not only adjust to the West Coast time difference but also make the decision on which starters, including Watson, will play Saturday and for how long.
