On Wednesday, the Cleveland Browns provided an injury update on former Clemson star Deshaun Watson.
Cleveland announced that Watson, its starting quarterback, has been placed in the NFL’s concussion protocol.
His entry into protocol stems from a helmet-to-helmet hit he took from safety Jaquan Brisker during the first quarter of Sunday’s 27-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Though Watson briefly left that game for a standard evaluation, he was originally cleared by an unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant, returned to play, and showed no symptoms during subsequent postgame and Monday morning evaluations.
However, Watson experienced delayed concussion symptoms Monday night and reported them to the team’s medical staff Tuesday morning.
Following is the Browns’ statement on Watson being placed in concussion protocol:
“During the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Steelers, Deshaun Watson took a helmet-to-helmet hit. The ATC spotter called down to the sideline, and the Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultant (UNC) administered a gameday concussion evaluation. Deshaun was cleared by the UNC and returned on the Browns’ next offensive series. As part of the protocol, the team’s medical staff evaluated him again postgame and Monday morning. Both times he showed no symptoms, passed his evaluations, and was cleared. On Tuesday morning, he reported to the medical staff that he began experiencing concussion symptoms Monday night and was immediately placed in the concussion protocol.”
Watson’s availability for Sunday’s Week 9 road matchup against the New Orleans Saints is now highly uncertain. If he can’t clear concussion protocol in time, second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders would be set to make his first start of the season.
In the loss to the Steelers, Watson completed 27 of 39 passes for 324 yards. He was sacked eight times and lost a fumble.
Following a long road to recovery from multiple Achilles tendon tears that cut his 2024 season short and wiped out his 2025 campaign entirely, Watson has started all eight games this season for Cleveland (5-3), completing 65.5 percent of his passes for 1,806 yards with seven touchdown passes and three interceptions. He has also rushed for 217 yards and a rushing score on 51 carries.
Watson has led five fourth-quarter, game-winning drives during the 2026 season. The 31-year-old is in the final year of his fully guaranteed $230 million contract that he signed in March 2022 after being traded to Cleveland from the Houston Texans, with whom he was a three-time Pro Bowler.