Deshaun Watson will miss a second consecutive game — and third week — with a shoulder injury, and he could miss multiple more games.
Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports that the Browns quarterback was diagnosed with a right rotator cuff contusion. She adds that “it’s a deep contusion that presents or functions more like a strain.”
Watson, who injured his shoulder in the third quarter of the Sept. 24 game against the Titans, will not return to the field until he can throw normally and without pain.
Team doctors medically cleared him Oct. 1 with his shoulder structurally intact. The protocol now calls for rest and rehab with minimal throwing, according to Cabot.
Kevin Stefanski said Friday that Watson did some light throwing this week, but the coach offered no prognosis beyond this week.
The Browns initially believed the injury to be a bruise, which would have gotten him back in the lineup quickly. But when Watson tested his shoulder in a pregame warmup before the Week 4 game, he experienced significant pain and weakness in the arm.
The team now is taking a conservative approach in Watson’s return.
The Browns have not gotten their money’s worth from Watson yet. They traded three first-round draft picks to acquire him from Houston and then fully guaranteed a $230 million contract. He missed 11 games last season while suspended and has played only nine games in his career with the team.
Watson sat out the entire 2021 season, with the Texans making him a healthy scratch every week.