Deshaun Watson is rehabbing from a shoulder injury that derailed his 2023 season. Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski provided an optimistic update on the quarterback’s recovery efforts.
“He’s doing everything he’s supposed to do,” Stefanski said Monday at an annual golf charity event, per BrownsZone’s Scott Petrak. “He’s attacked this rehab from day one of the rehab. When he gets out there and throws it around, which I know you guys saw last week, he looks like Deshaun Watson.”
Watson has worked a limited throwing schedule in his return from surgery. Stefanski said, “We’ll see” when asked if the 28-year-old will remain on that plan during OTA practices this week.
“I’m really waiting on medical when it comes to that,” Stefanski said. “If they say he’s ready to go, we’ll throw him in there. But until then, we’re trying to keep it by the day. And he’s doing really, really well.”
Stefanski said the team will “listen to whatever the doctors tell us” before determining whether to ramp up Watson’s throwing plan at Cleveland’s mandatory minicamp later this month.
Watson played just five full games last season before undergoing season-ending surgery on his right shoulder in November. He finished with an 84.3 quarterback rating and 6.5 yards per pass attempt.
Although he didn’t throw during 11-on-11 or seven-on-seven drills last week, Browns offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey said Watson is gradually making progress.
“He threw the ball down the sideline, a vertical throw today, and that’s one I hadn’t seen from him a lot,” Dorsey said, per the team site. “We haven’t pushed him to do it, so that was good to see. So, I think the more he grows and feels comfortable with it, the more you’ll start seeing those things get ramped up more and more.”