Overview
- The Browns announced Wednesday that Deshaun Watson entered the NFL concussion protocol after he told medical staff he began experiencing symptoms Monday night following a helmet-to-helmet hit in Sunday's loss to the Steelers.
- If Watson is not cleared for Sunday’s game in New Orleans, second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders is expected to start with Dillon Gabriel trending as the primary backup.
- Sanders has seen only a handful of snaps this season and completed two short passes during a brief relief appearance in Week 8, so a start will provide Cleveland and the league with fresh evaluation tape.
- Cleveland’s statement says Watson was checked on the field by an ATC spotter and the Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultant, passed postgame and Monday checks, and then self-reported symptoms that triggered the formal protocol steps.
- The development affects the Browns’ 5-3 playoff push and could change pre-deadline personnel thinking, because Sanders’ performance this week may alter Cleveland’s short-term roster plans and his trade-market value.