Quarterback Deshaun Watson is out of the concussion protocol, and the Cleveland Browns still can’t say if he’ll dress in New Orleans. Watson passed the protocol on Nov. 7, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, but the team lists him as questionable for the Nov. 8 game against the New Orleans Saints. Shedeur Sanders will start regardless.
Head coach Todd Monken named Sanders his starter on Nov. 6, though Watson’s role was less clear. Gabriel served as the emergency third quarterback in Pittsburgh in Week 8, while rookie Taylen Green sat inactive. Symptoms put Watson in the protocol Nov. 3, and he was back at practice Nov. 6 for the week’s final full session.
The Browns held a walkthrough in Berea on Nov. 7 before the flight south. Schefter had laid out why Watson wasn’t lined up to start. Safety Jaquan Brisker hit Watson helmet-to-helmet with 13:33 left in the first quarter, and Sanders completed 2 of 2 passes for 2 yards over four plays.
He was back on the next series and finished 27 of 39 for 324 yards, though a strip sack on his first drive back cost Cleveland a fumble. Pittsburgh sacked him eight times, tying his career high. Nobody in the NFL has been sacked more than Watson’s 33 times.
Through eight starts, Watson is 163 of 249 for 1,806 yards with seven touchdowns, three interceptions and a 91.2 passer rating. He has also led five fourth-quarter comebacks. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
ET on Nov. 8, with Sanders under center and Watson’s game-day role still unsettled.
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