Browns QB Deshaun Watson ruled out, PJ Walker to start vs. Seahawks

For the third consecutive home game, the Seattle Seahawks will be playing against a backup quarterback.

The Cleveland Browns have ruled out Deshaun Watson (shoulder) for this Sunday’s matchup at Lumen Field. Former XFL star PJ Walker, who was signed to the active roster after running out of practice squad elevations, has been named as the starter by Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski. If anything happens to Walker, then Plan B is UCLA rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

Watson is dealing with what’s been described as, “a strain in his subscapularis muscle,” which affects his rotator cuff. He missed Cleveland’s win over the San Francisco 49ers with this injury, and returned the following week against the Indianapolis Colts, only to be removed mid-game after taking a hard hit. Watson threw an early interception and nearly threw a second one that was overturned on replay. Either way, Watson has been terrible this season and for most of his time in Cleveland, but it’s not like they gave him a fully guar——-

Anyway...

Walker, believe it or not, has a 5-3 record as a starter dating back to his three seasons with the Carolina Panthers. It is not often you see a winning record for a starting QB with a half-season’s worth of games played but also a TD-INT ratio of 5 to 14 and a completion percentage of 55.8. The penalty controversy against the Colts aside, PJ has officially led two game-winning drives in as many appearances with the Browns.

Cleveland will also be without running back Jerome Ford due to an ankle injury, so the recently re-signed Kareem Hunt will get the lion’s share of carries.

We know that Cleveland’s defense (and by defense I mostly mean Myles Garrett) is more than good enough to overcome bad QB play, so the onus is on Geno Smith and the Seahawks to drop the turnover problem that has developed over the past couple of weeks.