Browns GM expects Deshaun Watson to turn around season in Week 12 return

Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry confirmed to reporters that Deshaun Watson will start in Week 12, giving Browns playoff hope. 

With a little over a month left before Deshaun Watson’s scheduled Week 12 debut with the Cleveland Browns, reporters asked Browns general manager Andrew Berry to confirm Watson’s status with the team.

Berry told reporters that even though Jacoby Brissett has done all that was asked of him, Watson will definitely suit up on Dec. 4 versus the Houston Texans.

The Browns started off the season with a strong record under Brissett, but recently, several games have gotten away from the 3-5 team ranked third in the AFC North. However, the division is closer than others, with the Cincinnati Bengals at 4-4 and the Baltimore Ravens at 5-3. That means that a few more wins and the debut of Watson, whom many expect will secure more wins for the Browns, still has them in a decent position to make playoffs.

Browns fans consider Deshaun Watson’s Week 12 return and the benching of Jacoby Brissett

Although the Browns have essentially centered their franchise around Watson, there was the notion that perhaps Brissett could usurp his position with a positive performance.

Akron Beacon Journal’s Nate Ulrich recently detailed the impact Brissett has had on the Browns locker room, stepping up as a compassionate, effective leader.

“Everyone loves him,” Bell told the Beacon Journal. “He’s even a better person than he is a player. A lot of players gravitate towards that, and he definitely has the respect of the locker room.”

Brissett has stepped up and done all that the organization has asked, as Berry noted, but Browns leadership is still intent on bringing Watson up to speed and preparing him for the last quarter of the season. Berry noted how crucial the latter half of the season is, digging into the “football doesn’t start until after Thanksgiving” adage.

With Berry confirming Watson’s return, some are viewing Brissett’s remaining tenure at starting quarterback as a “three-game season.”

Though Watson hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2020, he ended the 2020 season ranking among the NFL’s top quarterbacks in various metrics, including leading the NFL in passing yards.

Watson will “begin practicing with the team on Nov. 14 and will be reinstated Nov. 28,” per Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot.