Browns Should Take Big Picture View With Deshaun Watson's Shoulder Injury

Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback Deshaun Watson's status for Sunday is still in question, but it is no reason to hit the panic button.

Deshaun Watson worked out inside on Monday during the Browns' first practice out of the bye week. This sent "Browns Nation" into a frenzy, and rightfully so. 

In the Browns' 27-3 victory over the Tennessee Titans, Deshaun Watson took a pretty huge hit directly to his throwing shoulder on a quarterback run, which we can only speculate has led to this three-week saga.

Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Zach Carter (95) stumbles as he chases Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) out of the pocket in the first quarter of the NFL Week 1 game between the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals at FirstEnergy Stadium in downtown Cleveland on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023. The Browns led 10-0 at halftime :: © Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

When the Browns practice Wednesday afternoon (1:00pm EST), Deshaun's availability for Sunday will be pretty clear. If he practices, I expect to see him Sunday. If he does not, it sounds like the team would turn to PJ Walker to be the trigger man for Cleveland.

At the micro level, this seems like a huge deal ... but I encourage the fan base to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. 

A victory over the 49ers would go a long way to proving this team's worth in the 2023 season. But it is a tall task, even if Watson does play. I argue that the next five weeks are far more important than what we see on the field Sunday afternoon.

The next five opponents (in order) are Indianapolis, Seattle, Arizona, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh. If the Browns are able to get through that stretch at 4-1 or 5-0 that will set the table for a postseason run. That may seem like wishful thinking, but you have a chance to do that with your starting quarterback being healthy. You do not realistically have a chance to do that filtering in backups week after week.

Keep a close eye on what Wednesday's practice looks like to get a good feel for how the Browns will approach this situation on Sunday and beyond.