Dawgs By Nature
Browns QB says there is no timeline for his return as he continues to focus on hitting his landmarks in recovery from shoulder surgery.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson provided an update on Tuesday regarding his surgically repaired shoulder and when he expects to be back on the field.
With players and coaches in Berea for the beginning of the club’s voluntary offseason program, Watson met with the media to discuss his shoulder and the potential changes to the offense with Ken Dorsey replacing Alex Van Pelt as offensive coordinator.
The topic of the day was the state of Watson’s throwing shoulder, which sidelined him early in the 2023 season and ultimately landed him on season-ending injured reserve after he suffered a broken glenoid.
So when will he be ready to go? Well, that depends, as Watson explained (quotes via a team-provided transcript):
“I mean, the plan is to come back whenever they feel like, and I feel like we’re on the same page, that we’re ready. So there’s not a timeline or a date that we have that this is when I’m going to be 100 percent. It’s just kind of how the process goes … It can be sooner than later, it can be later than sooner. I think it just really depends on how each landmark we hit and how fast we can get it and how my shoulder is reacting.”
For those keeping score at home, “they” is referring to the Browns training staff, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the Los Angeles-based surgeon who operated on Watson, and Watson’s group, which includes his quarterback coach Quincy Avery.
While Watson’s answer may sound a bit … muddled … he did talk about the importance of not rushing the process that was put in place for his rehabilitation to avoid having a setback. And seeing as how the Browns do not open training camp until late July and the first game of the season is not until September, reading more into his answer to craft a doom-and-gloom narrative is probably not the best course of action for fans.
As for working with Dorsey, Watson talked about some potential changes to the offense:
“(There will be) a lot of opportunities for the receivers to be able to really showcase their skills. A lot of guys moving around, a lot of guys being able to play different spots, and then myself to just be free and not really kind of controlled in a sense. It’s really just gotta go out there and be able to, you know, showcase, spread offense, throw it around, run around and make some plays happen.”
Watson also addressed the question that simply won’t go away over who will call the plays on offense this fall - Dorsey or head coach Kevin Stefanski - by pointing out that it doesn’t matter as everyone is communicating on gameday and that the players still have to execute the play regardless of where the call originated.
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