Deshaun Watson suspension: Kevin Stefanski says Browns quarterback will not play again this preseason

Deshaun Watson will be suspended for the first 11 games of the 2022 season and was hit with a $5 million fine after the NFL and Watson’s camp agreed on a settlement Thursday. Following that decision, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski announced that Watson will not play again in the preseason, paving the way for veteran Jacoby Brissett to get as many reps as possible leading up to the regular season. 

“I think part of it is making sure we get a lot of work for Jacoby and for Deshaun because eventually, he will be playing,” Stefanski said when asked why Watson was seeing a heavy workload in practice. “We want to get a good look at some of our scheme versus another scheme. Ultimately, as we transition out of this week, Jacoby will get really all of the reps.” 

Stefanski went on to say Watson will see his repetitions in practice decrease, but will still see plenty of work while he is still in the building. He added that the team has “a ton of trust” in Brissett going into the season. Brissett is 14-23 in his 37 career starts and has completed 60.2% of his passes for his career with an 83 passer rating. 

With Watson’s suspension now official and Stefanski saying he will not play again this preseason, that means the next time he’ll step on an NFL field for a game will come in Week 13 when Cleveland travels to Houston to face the Texans. 

“I’m really comfortable with our plan and how we’ve operated with the uncertainty,” Stefanski said. “Now that we have certainty, I feel good about where we are. I feel good about getting those guys ready to play because ultimately, like you mentioned, when Deshaun is back and ready to play we’re excited about that opportunity for him, but there is a lot of work that needs to go in prior to Sept. 1.”

Watson did play in a game for the first time in 19 months last week when he got the start for Cleveland in the team’s preseason opener against the Jaguars. In that debut, Watson did not look like a $230 million fully guaranteed quarterback, completing just one of his five passes for seven yards. The Browns offense punted twice and fumbled in the three drives that Watson was under center. 

In a rare circumstance, Watson gets a ramp-up period as he comes off suspension. While he will not be able to play in a game until Dec. 4, he’ll be able to return to the team’s training facility and participate in limited activities on Oct. 10, according to Adam Schefter. Then, he can resume practicing on Nov. 14.