CLEVELAND — The week started like any other in Berea, perhaps on a higher note than usual as quarterback Deshaun Watson was coming off a strong performance over the Tennessee Titans that helped put the Browns at 2-1 on the season.
Week before the Ravens
Watson had seemed to have the offense clicking after the first quarter of that Week 3 game—a positive sign after two weeks of some struggles on that side of the ball. A strong connection with wide receiver Amari Cooper began to be established and Watson was able to incorporate the run through a mix of Jerome Ford, Kareem Hunt, and himself. Those runs from Watson did see him take a few hard hits, and while there was at least one moment where it appeared Watson might need to leave the game for a quick evaluation, he stuck it out and played every snap.
The game highlighted that the Browns could be effective in all three phases of the game. The energy was high and on Wednesday, the day Watson holds his weekly media availability, it seemed like business as usual with sights turning to the Baltimore Ravens.
Watson answered questions about the win over the Titans, about some familiarity with players on the Ravens and about game planning for a quarterback like Lamar Jackson. Nothing seemed amiss. He was even asked about some of those hard hits he took in Week 3.
“You just have to understand that with certain play calls and certain lines, you have to take those hits. So, you just got to know how to fall, know how to kind of take them, and try not to take any heavy blows. But at the same time, you just go on to the next play pretty much. It comes with part of the game," Watson said.
Those questions came right after the walk-through, which ended shortly after 11 a.m. After media availability, the players get ready for their day of practice and head out to the fields. Media joins them for a short window, the portion open for observation, which consists of some light warmups and individual drills. That's when things took a turn.
Watson was on the field but was behind rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who was handling the bulk of the throwing. Watson was taking mental reps, going through the motions and footwork of each pass, but not using his throwing arm. At the time, it appeared to be just a day of rest for a veteran player. Watson was listed that evening on the participation/injury report as "limited," the reason given was a "right shoulder."
Prior to the practice session, there was no indication Watson had been really hurt against the Titans. So his limitations at practice seemed to be precautionary. The next day, there remained little outward concern from the team about Watson's injury.
On Thursday, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt was asked about Watson's shoulder. Van Pelt guessed when the injury happened—later identified as a play in the red zone that saw Watson keep the ball and rush towards the end zone, but take a hard hit to the shoulder while doing so. While Van Pelt said they would monitor him at practice to see how much he'd be able to do, there were no concerns that the limitation in practice would impact his availability come Sunday.
“I think it came, I’m not exactly sure, one of the runs that he had took a hit on the safety. But we’ll see today, see how he feels when we get out there, but we’re confident he’ll be able to go Sunday. We’ll see how he’s feeling today when we get out," Van Pelt said.
Cleveland.com reporter Mary Kay Cabot asked Van Pelt directly, "From what you’ve seen of Deshaun so far, there’s no way he’s staying out of this game, right?" To which Van Pelt chuckled a bit while answering, “I wouldn’t expect that. No.”
Then in Thursday's practice, Watson was limited once again. He remained taking mental reps behind Thompson-Robinson and stayed on the participation/injury report as limited for a second straight day. Naturally, some concerns arose that Watson may not be available for Sunday's matchup with Baltimore.
For some, Friday morning's practice session only raised those concerns more. Watson, for the third day in a row, was limited in his throwing. During the open portion of practice, Watson only took a few throws. The mental reps continued as he appeared to be donning some kinesiology tape on his throwing shoulder. Shortly after practice, the final injury report for the Ravens game was released and Watson was listed on it as "questionable" for the game.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski took some questions about what that might mean for Sunday's game. When asked if he expected Watson to play, he said, "I’m hopeful.” For a coach who doesn't give much away, that answer seemed to be a positive sign Watson would be fine for Sunday.
His teammates believed he was likely to play as well. Defensive end Myles Garrett was confident with any decision, but said they thought he's play.
“We don’t live in uncertainty. Whether he plays, doesn’t play, that’s not going to change our mentality going into the game. He’s going to make the best decision for himself as well as for his team and what he can put forth. But knowing him, he’s a baller. He’s fought through a lot of things, we think he’ll play, but if he doesn’t, we just have to up our intensity one more notch," Garrett said Friday.
The team also showed confidence in Thompson-Robinson stepping up if Watson ended up unable to play, as unlikely as that seemed at the time.
"I'm confident. Obviously, you want the team captain, team leader Deshaun—one of the best QBs in the game—to be out there competing with us. But obviously have all the trust in the world in Dorian," said wide receiver Cedric Tillman.
"With D4, without, we're going to put everything out on the field to help the young QB be successful," tight end Jordan Akins.
The team wrapped up their last practice session before the game and waited for Sunday to see how Watson's shoulder felt before the game.
At the Ravens game
On Sunday morning, Watson arrived at Cleveland Browns Stadium and took the field early. Joined with trainers, Stefanski, Van Pelt, and general manager Andrew Berry, Watson took a few light throws. As he stood on the field with the ball in his hands, his body language seemed off. There wasn't a sense of excitement on the field, and after a few throws, Watson and trainers walked over to the group and talked. Stefanski gave Watson a pat on the arm and walked away. Berry gave him a pat on the back and did the same.
Watson stood talking with Van Pelt for a few moments longer before heading off the field himself.
With the inactive player list scheduled to come out at 11:30 a.m., all eyes were on it to see if Watson would be upgraded from questionable to active, or downgraded to out. Reports had come out here and there throughout the weekend claiming Watson was "expected" to play on Sunday, which were strengthened by the language about Watson's injury all week leading into the game.
But prior to the inactive players list being released, the news leaked. Watson would not be playing against the Ravens.
Yes, Watson was questionable, so there was always a chance he wouldn't play. The team even elevated quarterback P.J. Walker from the practice squad to the active roster on Saturday. But there still didn't seem to be much concern about the unfavorable outcome. It truly felt that every sign pointed to Watson playing.
Thompson-Robinson learned he'd be getting the start, his first regular-season NFL start, just a few hours before kickoff.
The Browns, in a big divisional rival matchup and already without star running back Nick Chubb for the season, had a rookie quarterback take the helm. It did not go the way he or anyone hoped.
Thompson-Robinson was 19-36 throwing with 121 yards, no touchdowns, and three interceptions. The offensive line struggled to pass protect, leaving the rookie vulnerable and seeing him take a number of hard hits. Thompson-Robinson struggled with decision-making, opting for passes in tight windows and double coverage and missing receivers.
The defense opened the game strong, the way they looked through the first three games, but with the offense unable to generate anything—in the air or on the ground—they were on the field for longer than ideal. As the game went on, coverage slipped, tackles were missed, and Lamar Jackson was able to exploit the holes. Baltimore ran away with the game 28-3, with the Browns' lone score coming off a 53-yard field goal from Dustin Hopkins in the first quarter.
Watson watched from the sidelines, trying to share with Thompson-Robinson what he was seeing from his perspective throughout the game. The rookie didn't have a strong first start, but he had plenty of support from teammates—and knows he has work to do.
"I know that there were times when I forced the ball, and tried to make a play. Even though it feels like that point in the game where you kind of need to, you still have to be able to go through your process, go through your reads, and make sure that you’re getting the ball to the right guy," Thompson-Robinson said. “Nobody likes losing, especially me. I’m a big winner and that’s what everybody was hoping for today, including myself. So, like I said, we got a lot to clean up. I have a lot to clean up. Going out there for the first time and now actually getting some tape to watch on myself to see what I need to correct. But, yeah, there’s definitely a lot to clean up."
After the Ravens game
The whirlwind of Watson's health status mixed with the struggles of Sunday's game led to more questions. Add to that the realization, that while certainly a different injury, tight end David Njoku was the team's leading receiver. He also was on the injury report as questionable, added to it Saturday after sustaining burns to his face and arm during a household accident while lighting a fire pit.
Njoku wore a mask and head covering pre-game and under his helmet. His wrists were wrapped. But there was nothing he could do about in-game contact or the helmet rubbing against the injuries. Still, he played—and well.
It's impossible to compare the two, but there were certainly questions, like how bad was Watson's shoulder that it sidelined him for this important divisional game? Is this something that will linger beyond one game?
Stefanski said that the bye falling this week will help prevent the latter from occurring. He also said Watson tried to play Sunday but ultimately felt he couldn't.
"We took it day by day. Obviously, he did not feel comfortable to be the player we need him to be. He’s very disappointed. He wanted to go badly, but he just did not feel that he could go," Stefanski said. "He hadn’t thrown all week, so just felt like it was the right thing to see him today. And again, he pushed himself, he tried. He did everything in his power to get ready, but just did not feel comfortable earlier this morning and didn’t feel like we could put him out there.”
Stefanski said Watson's shoulder is structurally sound. He wouldn't give specifics, but did say that.
In the locker room, players were full of support for Thompson-Robinson. Joel Bitonio shared that support in what he told the rookie.
“'Keep your head up, we did not do enough for you.' It's a tough spot to come in and not really know if you are going to go or not. He is a rookie going against really any defense in the NFL is tough. I just told him 'we did not do enough for you, sorry man. We will get better,' and I know he knows that. He took some hits out there that were tough and popped back up. So I have a lot of respect for him for that. But we cannot let him take those," Bitonio said.
Some on the team said they were a little surprised Watson wasn't able to play, but there was no blame game on Sunday. Every player took accountability for the loss and the team gave Watson their support after his decision to not play.
“We told him we got his back. Regardless of whether he plays or doesn’t play, we always have his back and we’re going to ride for him and we came up short, but that didn’t change anything. The guy has played through many injuries, aches and pains and he’s still a baller. And regardless of him playing, we're going to play the same aggressive, attack, swagger-filled football. But today it just didn’t swing our way," defensive end Myles Garrett said after the game.
Injuries happen and players have to miss games—that's the nature of the sport. It's not a surprise that Watson got banged up and had to miss a game, the surprise was the week leading into the game felt as if there was little doubt he'd be on the field. Even more so with the game being an important divisional matchup and one that fell right before the Browns' early bye week.
The game plan on Sunday that saw the rookie backup dropping back play after play, starting the game pass-heavy and not seeming to offer many screen or RPOs. It could have helped the young passer get the ball out of his hands quicker, but the game seemed very tailored to Watson and as if it were too late to change for Thompson-Robinson (although he practices the same game plan as Watson each week, it was still his first start).
Everything about the week made Watson's scratch that much more surprising.
The game is over and the Browns are 2-2. With one divisional win and two losses, things could be better, but they could certainly be worse.
As the Browns enter the bye week, they're hopeful to use the week off to learn from what went wrong on Sunday but to also get rest and reset.
With the 4-0 San Francisco 49ers coming to town after the bye, the Browns are confident Watson will be healthy enough to play.
“Watch film and go home. It’s your Bye week. Get your mind off it. That’s what you do. Whether it feels like week five or week twelve, use this time to refresh, reset, and get back to work," Garrett said.
