Deshaun Watson is dealing with “general arm soreness,” which might affect whether he plays in the Browns’ preseason game this week.
The Browns held Watson from throwing during Wednesday’s practice.
“Deshaun was a little sore,” coach Kevin Stefanski said. “I decided to just hold back a little bit with him, but not overly concerned.”
Watson had surgery in November to fix a fractured bone in his throwing shoulder, which ended his second season with Cleveland after only six starts. He’s practiced almost every day during training camp but didn’t play in the first two preseason games.
Stefanski hasn’t yet decided if or how much Watson will play on Saturday when the Browns face the Seattle Seahawks. He mentioned that Watson had soreness earlier in camp too.
“You’re a quarterback, you’re throwing a lot, so you get sore,” Stefanski said.
Also, Browns running back Pierre Strong Jr. was taken to a hospital by ambulance after getting a rib injury in practice. The team said Strong has been released from the hospital.
After Watson was sidelined, backup Jameis Winston took over the remaining snaps with the starting offense in practice.
“He practiced,” Stefanski said about Watson. “I held him back. He could have gone. He’s feeling fine.”
Watson has made steady progress since his surgery, and the team’s medical staff is keeping an eye on his workload during camp.
Watson has joined almost every drill, though sometimes he only mimics throwing a pass.
Last week, Stefanski mentioned that Watson was expected to play against the Seahawks. However, on Tuesday, the reigning AP Coach of the Year said he hadn’t decided on playing time for Watson or the other starters.
