Deshaun Watson's return to the field will have to wait until Week 1.
The Browns quarterback won't play in Cleveland's preseason finale against the Seattle Seahawks, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Saturday afternoon. The team later confirmed the news.
Cleveland's practice was closed to media Thursday, but the team informed reporters Watson resumed throwing and took the standard total of reps during the session. Club representatives declined to reveal whether Watson would participate in the Saturday contest in Seattle.
Watson sat out of practice Wednesday with what coach Kevin Stefanski described as arm soreness, adding "I decided to just hold back a little bit with him, but not overly concerned."
Anything related to Watson's health sounds alarm bells in Cleveland, and rightfully so. After a glenoid fracture ended Watson's 2023 season prematurely, Browns fans have closely watched -- or desperately scoured the interwebs for crumbs of information -- on Watson's status in his journey back from the injury. The Browns' season, like most every NFL team, hinges on their quarterback's performance, and one cannot perform if they're not available.
There's also a question of rust -- nearly 10 months' worth -- and how it might affect Watson's ability to produce for a Browns team that will be thrown directly into the fire with their Week 1 date with the Dallas Cowboys. Watson hasn't taken a single snap in the preseason, and without any live preseason reps to watch, Cleveland fans will be going into Week 1 blind regarding their $230 million quarterback.
At this point, though, their expectations have already dropped significantly. Watson missed the majority of the 2022 season due to suspension, showed glimpses of possibly turning the corner in 2023, and was gone before he could prove he'd taken a legitimate step forward. Browns fans are likely now in a prepare-for-the-worst, hope-for-the-best mindset.
Watson, meanwhile, will enter the 2024 regular season with the weight of the franchise on his shoulders (again). We'll see if he's healed well enough to handle it.