Since playing the best game of his career with the Cleveland Browns in Week Three against the Tennessee Titans in a dominant 27-3 win, quarterback Deshaun Watson has found himself on the shelf the last two weeks, including the Week Five bye week.
His absence, due to a shoulder injury, will likely keep him out of the lineup again in Week Six against the San Francisco 49ers, which has former Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets offensive lineman Willie Colon quite livid.
Appearing on The Carton Show Thursday, Colon laid into Watson, calling him soft and stating that if he was a member of the Browns, he would be furious that Watson is nursing this shoulder injury when Cleveland needs its No. 1 quarterback under center.
“…Bottom line: we watched three weeks of Joe Burrow stand in the pocket and take shot after shot, drag his leg up and down the field to try and win his team a damn football game. I’m a fan of Deshaun Watson, but if I’m an offensive lineman for the Cleveland Browns I’m like, ‘Come on, homie! You’re embarrassing us, because we need you,'” Colon said regarding Watson, who is still dealing with the shoulder injury, according to video via The Carton Show’s YouTube page.Â
“We’re not a competent offense unless you’re out there. We have a number one defense and you’re supposed to be our number one quarterback and you’re scared to leave the locker room? You should be embarrassed of yourself, because in the AFC North we pride ourselves on football, defense and going out and kicking butt. You’re supposed to be a butt-kicker. He’s soft right now! A/C joint? There is Toradol … whatever you need to get yourself on the field on Sunday, you gotta play!”
It’s unclear just how serious Watson’s shoulder injury is at this point. Leading up to the Week Four matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, Watson was limited in practice throughout the week before ultimately not being able to give it a go. That led to rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson getting his first NFL start, which ended up an ugly 28-3 loss to the Ravens.
Thompson-Robinson threw for just 121 yards and three interceptions on 19-of-36 completions against Baltimore, sinking Cleveland’s offensive attack.
The Week Five bye week was supposed to help Watson get right, but on Wednesday and Thursday Watson didn’t practice. That has him set to miss his second straight game, leading to Colon’s outburst.
The Browns are being rather mum on Watson’s injury, calling him day-to-day. Head coach Kevin Stefanski was “hopeful” Watson was going to play in Week Four against the Ravens as Watson was cleared medically to play before he was ultimately ruled out. Stefanski then said he expected Watson to be ready coming out of the bye for the 49ers.
That’s reportedly not going to happen now.
That’s where Colon’s anger comes from. Nobody knows what, exactly, is the issue with Watson’s bruised throwing shoulder. That’s on the Browns for being mum, leading to all this speculation and having people question Watson’s want-to and overall commitment to the team.
What was once viewed as a minor injury is now becoming a major talking point for the high-priced Browns quarterback. If Colon feels this way as a former player, it’s fair to wonder what Watson’s teammates actually think, too.
