Deshaun Watson Refutes Those Questioning His Desire to Play For Browns

During an impromptu press conference on Thursday, the Browns QB admitted he wasn't ready to go for Colts game and that he doesn't know when he'll be ready

On-and-on the Deshaun Watson saga goes. 

On Wednesday, Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski wasted no time ruling Watson out for Week 8 due to his rotator cuff injury. On Thursday, the Browns QB held an impromptu press conference on Thursday to provide an update of his own.

The update was mostly more of the same for Watson, who reiterated that they're taking it day-to-day. Still, questions remained, regarding why he played against Indianapolis if the shoulder is still bad enough to force him out of action this week.

"I don't know," Watson said about whether or not he rushed back to the field too soon last week. "The timeline, usually, for rotator cuffs is 4-6 weeks. I felt during the week like I had the opportunity to play, you know right at that three, four week mark. I just didn't have the strength to go out there and play a full complete game."

It didn't help that Watson took a big hit that left Stefanski and team doctors worried about Watson re-injuring the shoulder. This time around it appears the Browns are being extra cautious by ruling their embattled quarterback out immediately and having him focus on rehabbing, rather than seeing how the week plays out.

Now the concern becomes whether or not trying to power through with the injury still hindering Watson resets the clock on that estimated recovery window.

"I'm not sure if it did or it didn't," Watson admitted. "At the same time, I wasn't 100-percent last week. Going through the game, going through the process of seeing if I can make the throws. I thought I was ready, wasn't ready." 

That statement became abundantly obvious in the first quarter of Sunday's with the Colts. On the five pass attempts Watson threw he completed just one for five yards, had an interception and nearly threw the ball to the defense again on the play that forced him out of the game. It was pretty clear that the 28-year-old couldn't drive the football the way he normally can.

His struggles in Week 7 combined with the mysteriousness surrounding the injury that has hindered him for four weeks now, have left some pundits questioning Watson's toughness or even his desire to play. Watson scoffed at those assertions.

"Why wouldn't I want to play?" asked Watson, with a laugh. "I just worked my ass off for two years to get back to playing. So why wouldn't I want to play? 

"This is what I've been doing since I was six years old but I see the same things. I see all the narratives, this, that, the third. All that stuff is just trying to stir up controversy and commotion. I'm fine, I'm happy – not happy with the injury. But I'm in a great space mentally. I'm in a great space spiritually. Physically, everything else is in a great place except my shoulder, so we're working hard to get that back."   

Watson added that any of the national narratives swirling about him aren't coming from his camp, asserting that those people don't talk to him. 

Deshaun Watson Won't Play For Browns In Week 8

It's probably a bridge too far to question Watson's desire to play without fully understanding the diagnosis of his shoulder injury and everything he's dealing with. Stefanski explained on Wednesday that the team assess the situation based on the information they get on a daily basis.

For now, all that's clear is Watson won't play in Week 8 and P.J. Walker will start in his place. What happens beyond that is anybody's guess. The Browns signal caller made it clear though, that he's working to return to action as soon as humanly possible.