Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski announced on Monday that franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson would start the team’s third preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks on August 24th.
The decision apparently caught Watson, who is recovering from last year’s season-ending shoulder surgery, by surprise.
“That was the first time I heard that,” Watson said when asked about Stefanski sharing his plan with the media earlier in the week. “But if I am, I’m playing. That’s fine with me, yeah.”
Watson has thrown passes in practice but has yet to see any live action since ending his season early.
“Our 1’s will get the majority of the practice,” Stefanksi said on Monday.
“You will see a lot of our starters out there getting them back mentally and physically ready for the season. Similarly, what we have done in the past is that Deshaun will get the vast majority of the reps not playing the game Saturday night. He will get his work done in a controlled setting with the Vikings, and then start against Seattle.”
Watson was assumedly under the impression he wouldn’t see any preseason action.
The Browns will face the Seahawks in the final preseason game before the regular season. The campaign begins in earnest on Sept. 8th when the team hosts the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1.
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