Kevin Stefanski wants to start Deshaun Watson in Jacksonville on Friday, but his plans could go awry if the the league's appeal for a season-long suspension is upheld before then. (Cleveland Browns)
Will Browns’ announcement to start Deshaun Watson in first preseason game force a decision on his suspension by NFL appeals officer?
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
The Browns have not responded to the NFL’s characterization of Deshaun Watson’s conduct during his massage therapist scandal as “egregious” and “predatory.”
But actions speak louder than words, and it appears that the Browns are not only standing by their man but are doing so defiantly.
A day after Commissioner Roger Goodell called for appeals officer Peter C. Harvey to suspend Watson for a minimum of one year for four violations of the league personal conduct policy, the Browns announced they intend to start Watson in the team’s first preseason game Friday night in Jacksonville.
Take a good look because it may be the last time anyone sees Watson in a Browns uniform all year.
That is, if he even gets on the field.
Harvey’s decision on the NFL’s appeal of disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson’s six-game suspension could come before Friday’s 7 p.m. kickoff.
And if Harvey follows the recommendation of NFL lead investigator Lisa Friel, which Goodell agreed with at league meetings in Minneapolis on Tuesday, an indefinite suspension could banish Watson immediately. He would be removed from team activities and presumably would have to depart Jacksonville before the game.
A lesser suspension – say, 12 games with a hefty fine – would allow Watson to stay with the team until the week of the Sept. 11 season-opener.
A lot depends, too, on the response to Harvey’s ruling by the NFL Players Association, which is defending Watson through this NFL disciplinary process.
Will the NFLPA accept Harvey’s penalty or will it fight it through the federal court system?
This drama for a mere preseason appearance is off the charts – even by Browns standards.
If it is taking a toll on anyone besides Watson, it is Stefanski.
The coach is charged with getting his starting quarterback ready for the season-opener. That will be Jacoby Brissett because the NFLPA did not appeal Robinson’s six-game suspension of Watson. So that’s the minimum suspension the Browns can expect.
But Stefanski has indicated he wanted Watson to see preseason action because Watson has not played in a competitive football game since Jan. 3, 2021, for the Houston Texans. Watson has taken the bulk of first-team snaps through 11 days of training camp. That will change after Harvey’s decision, which is supposed to be binding.
“I am confident in our plan,” Stefanski said on Tuesday. “Obviously, like I have told you guys, we will adjust based on information. I am comfortable in what Jacoby has done to date with his reps. He has gotten a lot of them. He has gotten some with the ones and some with the twos, and we will stick to our plan absent any new information.”
In their Watson announcement on Wednesday, the Browns said that “the majority [of starters] will get some action.”
That differs from Stefanski’s plan a year ago. The only starters he played in preseason Game 1 last year, also in Jacksonville, were fullback Andy Janovich and rookie cornerback Greg Newsome.
“I think you have to make decisions based on your team, and every year, things are different,” Stefanski said. “I think the one thing of note is we have Philly coming in [next week] to practice versus them. I do think that is a great opportunity to get two really good days of work in a controlled setting where you do not have to play your starters as much in that [preseason] Week 2, per se.
“I do think [preseason] Week 3 we still treat as a dress rehearsal so to speak. Is it exactly the same plan as last year? No. Just because it is not the same team, but I do believe that [preseason] Week 2 practices allow you to maybe not play guys in that second game as much.”
Stefanski took his team to Jacksonville a day early to put the players to another team-bonding event. He kept his plans private prior to departing Wednesday evening. This is the Browns’ only road game until they travel to Charlotte, NC, for the season-opener against Baker Mayfield and the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 11.
“I wanted to do this regardless of where we were going,” he said. “It did not matter where we were going, I wanted to do a two-day trip and get some things done. Fortunately, I think we have a good plan.”
The plan includes Watson sharing in the team-bonding experience. Unless Harvey’s decision sends him home early.
Brownie bit
The Browns confirmed return specialist Jakeem Grant suffered a torn Achilles tendon and was placed on injured reserve. They didn’t indicate season-ending surgery in their announcement, but that will be the course of action.
The club is not expected at this time to seek a specialist replacement for Grant. The Browns probably will follow their returner-by-committee approach of last year and rotate D’Ernest Johnson, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Demetric Felton in the returner roles.
