NFL Rumors: Cleveland Browns Quarterback Deshaun Watson to Miss Week 6

Things are getting a little bit uneasy in Cleveland. CBS's Josina Anderson revealed that Cleveland Browns' quarterback Deshaun Watson is expected to miss Week 6's showdown with the San Francisco 49ers despite Browns' doctors clearing him to play.

I’m told the #Browns QB Deshaun Watson will not play Sunday vs the 5-0 #49ers, per source.
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) October 12, 2023

Watson suffered a bruised shoulder in the Browns' Week 3 27-3 win over the Tennessee Titans, but team doctors have reportedly found no structural damage. Watson was a late scratch prior to the Browns' Week 4 loss to the Baltimore Ravens and apparently does not feel well enough to play following a Week 5 bye.

In Watson's stead, journeyman backup quarterback P.J. Walker will get his first start of the season. He should be a marked improvement on Week 4 starter Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who threw three interceptions in a 28-3 defeat. Still, Walker will be hard-pressed to compete with a 5-0 49ers team that has allowed the fewest points in the league.

Watson is entitled to his own health and safety and shouldn't be pressed to play if uncomfortable, but his unavailability is nonetheless more evidence that the Browns haven't got what they bargained for since dramatically trading for the controversial Pro Bowler. Due to suspension and injury, Watson has only started nine games for the Browns since 2022, and he's been subpar when on the field, netting 5.31 pass yards per attempt while throwing seven interceptions and fumbling five times.

Still, if the Browns can get mediocrity from the quarterback position (from Watson or his backups), they should still be competitive in a wide-open AFC North. Their defense leads the league in yards allowed per game, and their offensive line has paved the way for a potent run game that ranks fifth in rushing yards per game despite a devastating injury to star running back Nick Chubb. If Watson can eventually be anything close to the quarterback the Browns expected when they signed him to a colossal five-year, $230 million extension, they'll contend for the division.