Browns’ Deshaun Watson Says He’ll Be Ready for Week 1 Amid Should Injury Rehab

Doric SamApril 4, 2024

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Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is still rehabbing from shoulder surgery, but he’s confident that he’ll be ready for the 2024 season.

Watson told fans during a radio event on Thursday that he believes he will be recovered in time to play in Week 1:

Daryl Ruiter @RuiterWrongFAN”Shoulder is great. Be ready by week 1 for sure” #Browns QB Deshaun Watson pic.twitter.com/m7skSxf6G4

Watson’s comments echo the belief of the organization that his rehab is progressing well enough to predict that he’ll be under center when the Browns begin the 2024 campaign.

“All the medical work that’s been done at this point in time, Deshaun’s recovery so far, it’s been really positive,” Browns GM Andrew Berry said last week at the NFL annual meetings in Orlando, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “We’re not anticipating any issues.”

Watson made six starts in 2023 before being forced to undergo surgery to repair a broken bone in his throwing shoulder. He finished the year with 1,115 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions.

Cabot also reported that Watson began throwing last month, which is another step in the right direction. She noted that Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski “stated with conviction that Watson will throw this spring during the Browns offseason program, which begins April 15 with two weeks of conditioning and concludes with the mandatory minicamp in June.”

Despite losing Watson and having five different starting quarterbacks in 2023, the Browns still made the playoffs. Stefanski was named NFL Coach of the Year for the second time and veteran quarterback Joe Flacco was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year after leading Cleveland to success down the stretch of the regular season.

Getting Watson back could give the Browns a boost, so the team is certainly excited about the progression of his recovery.