Deshaun Watson practices, but game status not clear once again
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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.
Takeaways from Browns practice and interviews …
Here we go again.
Deshaun Watson returned to the practice field on Wednesday, 10 days from being pulled in the Indianapolis game after only 12 snaps and five yukky passes.
Practicing indoors due to the grassy fields soaked by melting snow, Watson took the No. 1 reps in the pre-team portion open to media.
Boring holes in Watson’s backside were the piercing eyes of owner Jimmy Haslam and GM Andrew Berry. They saw Watson throwing the ball a little better than in his practices prior to the Colts game. But his velocity looked less than 100 percent and his passes did not have the consistent zip of those of P.J. Walker, who’s no rifle-armed thrower in his own right.
Owner Jimmy Haslam (in blue) was an interested observer as Deshaun Watson returned to practice on Wednesday. (TheLandOnDemand)
Prior to practice, Kevin Stefanski would not commit to reinserting Watson as the starter for the Arizona game on Sunday – an important tune-up to the division-deciding Baltimore and Pittsburgh games to come. The coach did confirm that Walker would be the backup – not rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson – and would make his third start if Watson does not play.
So the pertinent question posed to Stefanski was how do the Browns avoid a repeat of the Colts’ debacle and change the process of evaluating whether Watson’s arm is strong enough to play at an acceptable level?
“I think every week’s different when you’re working through an injury, every week is different and how you feel day to day. So, this week’s just completely different in my perspective,” he answered.
Neither Watson nor Walker was available in the media session in the locker room.
Watson hasn’t been the same since suffering a strain to his right rotator cuff in the September 24 Tennessee game. He opted out of playing against Baltimore on October 1, missed the San Francisco game on October 8, then tried to play in Indianapolis on October 22. The Browns emerged victorious against the 49ers (19-17) and Colts (39-38) with Walker at the helm, but lost in Seattle last week when Walker’s second interception of the game – and seventh turnover in three games – led to a 24-20 Seahawks win.
Stefanski shut down Watson last week to give Walker all the first-team reps and to give Watson a better chance of being healthier for the tune-up against the 1-7 Cardinals. The coach, or whomever is making this decision, changed the process this week.
“As you can imagine, I always just kind of keep it day-to-day, and we’ll focus on today. He’ll be out there, and we’ll see how he does,” Stefanski said. “I’m not making any game-day decisions today.”
Tomorrow is another day.
Kareem and Stefanski are cool
Running back Kareem Hunt was upset with not getting any touches of the ball in the fourth quarter of the Seattle game and said so after the crushing loss. That earned him a private meeting with Stefanski this week. Hunt and the coach apparently are on the same wave-length following their conversation.
“Yeah, we talked a little bit and it’s no hard feelings,” Hunt said. “We both want to win.”
Hunt scored on a 16-yard run against the 49ers, from 2 yards and 1 yard against the Colts, including the game-winner, and from 1 yard against the Seahawks. Although he led the Browns’ three-man committee of backs with 14 carries for 55 yards in Seattle, Hunt was miffed he was not on the field except for 1 play on the fateful drive that ended in a Walker interception on third-and-3 from the 41-yard line.
“I don’t really know why, but we’re moving on,” Hunt said. “We’re ready to find a way to win this next game.”
Hunt was not backing down from his post-game comments.
“Yeah, that’s who I am,” he said. “Like I said, I just want to help the team win. That’s it. It’s nothing else. It is no shots at nobody. I know what type of player I am, and winning is the only thing I want to do.”
Stefanski can roll with the punches with the best of them and declined to offer any insight into his conversation with Hunt.
“Kareem’s a pro. He’s doing a good job for us,” he said.
Tillman will step up
The trade of Donovan Peoples-Jones to Detroit on Tuesday means more play time for rookie receiver Cedric Tillman.
“I think, yes, of course,” Stefanski said. “You know, if you do that [trade] it does open a pathway to getting Ced more involved.”
Tillman has been inactive the last three games, a healthy scratch in the last two. On an offense constipated by the weekly uncertainty of the quarterback position, Tillman has 1 catch for 5 yards. He received his only 3 targets in the Baltimore game.
I asked if preseason sensation Austin Watkins might get his first activation from the practice squad as a result of the trade, knowing the answer wouldn’t be affirmative.
“I think we’ll see,” Stefanski said. “Those are all conversations that you have each week. Austin does a nice job for us throughout the week.”
Of Peoples-Jones, the coach said, “A guy that we all love. Having seen him grow up in this building, had some really great moments for us. So, wishing him the best. But it does open up an avenue towards playing time for Ced and for some other guys as well.”
Brownie bits
Five players did not practice because of injuries – right tackle Dawand Jones (shoulder), cornerback Greg Newsome (groin), tight end David Njoku (ankle), left tackle Jedrick Wills (foot, ankle) and defensive end Alex Wright (knee). The ones that could be longer-term are Newsome and Jones. “We’ll see. I think this week we’ll see over the next couple of days how they respond,” Stefanski said. If Jones can’t play, James Hudson would move to right tackle. A tackle would have to be elevated from the practice squad to serve as the lone backup, either Alex Leatherwood or newly-signed Geron Christian …
Although running back Nick Chubb has not been seen by media since his knee surgery on September 29, Hunt said that Chubb is at the facility every day. “Nick is doing real good,” Hunt said. “You all are actually taking up some of my time to go chill with him right now. But Nick’s doing real good. He’s keeping his spirits high. He’s working hard in the training room and I know he’s looking forward to getting back.” Chubb's first surgery was to repair the left medial capsule, meniscus and medial collateral ligament. Another surgery is needed to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament in the knee. It has not yet been scheduled ...
Here is linebacker Anthony Walker’s take on the defensive breakdown at the end of the Seattle game that allowed Geno Smith to take his team 57 yards in 5 plays for the winning touchdown. “Yeah, we didn’t execute,” he said. “We didn’t execute the coverage. We didn’t tackle the ball carrier down, give up a huge chunk play in two minutes you can’t really do, and then we just got to execute, get off the field. However that is, whatever that looks like, however we get it done, we got to do it. We can point to a lot of different plays. We can point to how the game started, 17 straight points, touchdown, touchdown, field goal. And then you play good ball, but you spot a team 17 points. You can’t do that in the NFL.”
