Watson practices as Browns prep Brissett for Bills

BEREA, Ohio -- Deshaun Watson practiced with the Cleveland Browns connected Wednesday for the archetypal clip since Aug. 30. But with the backmost sidelined for 2 much games arsenic portion of his 11-game suspension, manager Kevin Stefanski said the team's precedence remains preparing backmost Jacoby Brissett to play.

"This is the adjacent measurement for [Watson]; it's bully to person him backmost connected the field," Stefanski said. "But the astir important happening close present is getting acceptable for Buffalo and getting Jacoby ready."

Since Oct. 10, Watson has been allowed to beryllium successful connected squad meetings and enactment retired astatine the Browns' grooming facility. But until Wednesday, Watson had near the grooming installation erstwhile the Browns practiced, throwing and practicing connected his own.

Watson besides participated successful the team's walkthrough earlier Wednesday. Stefanski declined to accidental however galore of the first-team snaps Watson would get these adjacent 2 signifier weeks, starring into his Week 13 instrumentality against the Houston Texans connected Dec. 4.

But Brissett said he's assured that he'll beryllium prepared to play Sunday against the Buffalo Bills and past Nov. 27 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers adjacent if helium splits signifier reps with Watson.

"That's not my occupation to equilibrium it. That's the coach's occupation to equilibrium however helium splits things up," said Brissett, who has been Cleveland's starter during Watson's suspension. "I conscionable person to spell retired determination and hole however I ever prepare, bash my occupation and past power what I tin control."

Pro Bowl moving backmost Nick Chubb said helium didn't deliberation the 2 quarterbacks splitting signifier reps would go awkward, though helium besides said the players "are each excited to spot Deshaun travel out, get immoderate reps and spot however helium has been doing."

"You guys already cognize what benignant of backmost helium is," Browns cornerback Denzel Ward added. "Definitely breathtaking getting him back. Looking guardant to seeing him retired determination contiguous and getting him retired determination for the games."

On Aug. 18, the NFL and NFL Players Association reached a colony connected Watson's 11-game suspension for violating the league's idiosyncratic behaviour argumentation by committing intersexual assault, arsenic defined by the NFL, connected massage therapists. He was besides fined $5 cardinal and has had to acquisition a mandatory attraction program.

Watson has been accused by much than 2 twelve women of intersexual battle and different inappropriate intersexual misconduct during massage sessions. Over the summer, Watson agreed to settee 23 of the 24 civilian lawsuits against him. A 25th suit was dropped by the plaintiff erstwhile the justice ruled that her petition had to beryllium amended with her name. Two different women filed transgression complaints against Watson but did not writer him.

On Oct. 13, different pistillate filed a suit against Watson, saying helium pressured her into oral enactment during a massage league successful 2020. Two weeks later, Watson's attorneys filed a bid of tribunal exhibits arsenic grounds intended to undermine the allegation.

Two expansive juries successful Texas declined to prosecute transgression charges against Watson earlier this year. But Sue L. Robinson, an autarkic arbiter jointly appointed by the league and the players' union, recovered that "the NFL carried its load to prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, that Mr. Watson engaged successful intersexual assault." Robinson besides concluded successful her study that Watson's behaviour was "egregious" and "predatory."

Watson has repeatedly denied immoderate wrongdoing and said radical haven't been funny successful proceeding his broadside of the story. He inactive hasn't spoken publically since his suspension was announced.

The Browns traded for Watson successful March, sending the Texans 3 first-round draught picks. Cleveland besides signed Watson to a five-year woody worthy $230 cardinal guaranteed, the richest declaration successful NFL history.

Watson hasn't played successful a regular-season crippled since 2020, sitting retired each of past twelvemonth successful Houston portion waiting for a trade.

The Browns (3-6) caput to Buffalo this play trying to support their slim playoff hopes alive. ESPN's Football Power Index gives the Browns conscionable a 4.5% accidental to marque the postseason.