It seems that Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson being ruled out of the team’s game in Week 4 was not a decision made by the team.
The Cleveland Browns entered Week 4 of the NFL season looking to grab a more controlling hold of the lead in the NFC North. Their matchup with the Baltimore Ravens was set to break up a three-team tie at the top and get them some early-season divisional bragging rights. However, their chances were doomed just hours before kickoff.
In Week 3, starting quarterback Deshaun Watson had his best game yet as a member of the Browns roster, however, he also suffered a bruised shoulder that dropped him in the questionable section of the injury report during the week.
- Deshaun Watson stats (2023): 63.7 Comp. %, 678 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT, 87.8 rating
Before Sunday’s game, the 28-year-old went through warmups, but it was deemed his shoulder was not ready for game action and he was ruled out.
Cleveland Browns medical staff did not force Deshaun Watson to sit in Week 4
The assumption after the report was that the team’s medical staff made the decision to sit Watson this weekend. However, that actually wasn’t the case. On Sunday, head coach Kevin Stefanski revealed that the medical team did clear Watson to play on Sunday, but it was his choice to not suit up.
“He was trying very hard to play. He was hopeful that he’d feel good today. He didn’t,” Stefanski said right after their disastrous 28-3 loss to the Ravens. “He knows his body. I trust him. He tried like crazy to make it. It’s not a pain tolerance thing. As everybody knows, his history speaks for itself. In terms of that, he just didn’t feel like he could operate at enough of a level to play for us today.”
Watson might have made little difference in their lopsided defeat this weekend, however, replacement Dorian Thompson-Robinson had three costly interceptions in a game where the Cleveland defense limited much star quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore offense.
In Week 3, Watson threw for 289 and two touchdowns against the Tennessee Titans.