Watson not practicing after bye week due to shoulder injury

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson did not practice Monday as he continues to deal with a right shoulder injury that sidelined him for one game before the bye week.

Watson remained inside the team’s facility while his teammates worked outdoors in their first practice following their bye. He unexpectedly missed the Oct. 1 game against Baltimore with a shoulder bruise sustained a week earlier against Tennessee.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski did not provide any new specifics about Watson’s injury on Monday.

He also would not speculate if Watson, who has made just nine starts in two seasons with Cleveland, would be available for this week’s game against the San Francisco 49ers (5-0).

“I know it’s a broken record, but really just treat it day by day,” Stefanski said. “He’s doing everything that he’s being asked to do and getting better.”

The 28-year-old Watson had been expected to play against the Ravens despite being limited and not throwing any passes with power during practices leading into that game.

But when he got to the stadium on game day, Watson was unable to throw with any velocity in an on-field workout three hours before kickoff, and the decision was made for him to be inactive despite being medically cleared to play.

Rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson started for Watson and struggled in his NFL debut, throwing three interceptions and being sacked four times.

The Browns have said Watson did not sustain any tears or structural damage in his shoulder. If that’s the case, Stefanski was asked why he’s not ready to play.

“The piece there that’s important is medically cleared versus functionally able to do your job,” Stefanski said. “That’s what with all of our guys, when you’re working through an injury, you need to be able to functionally perform, and that’s what Deshaun’s working very hard in his rehab — to be able to get back to 100%.”

NOTES: All-Pro DE Myles Garrett (foot), TE David Njoku (burns), LG Joel Bitonio (ankle) and C Ethan Pocic (chest, knee) were also kept out of practice to rehab injuries.

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