Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson hands off to running back Kareem Hunt during practice Tuesday. Ron Schwane/Associated Press
CLEVELAND — Deshaun Watson will start Cleveland’s exhibition opener at Jacksonville on Friday while waiting to see if the NFL succeeds in keeping him off the field this season.
Watson is potentially facing a year-long suspension from the league for alleged sexual misconduct against two dozen women while he played for the Houston Texans. The Browns’ new quarterback hasn’t played since the finale of the 2020 season.
Last week, an independent arbitrator suspended Watson for six games, but the league wasn’t satisfied with the decision, appealed, and is hoping for a much lengthier punishment and fine. That decision is expected soon.
In the meantime, the Browns are planning to see Watson in a game. They’re not sure when they might get to again.
For now, Watson’s scheduled appearance against the Jaguars will be his first in a game since Jan. 3, 2021, his final one with the Texans.
The three-time Pro Bowler sat out last season after demanding a trade and before he was accused of assault and harassment by the women during massage therapy sessions he scheduled on Instagram.
The Browns traded three first-round picks to the Texans and signed Watson to a five-year, $230 million contract in March despite his legal entanglement.
• Pro Bowl return specialist Jakeem Grant Sr. was placed on injured reserve after tests confirmed he tore his left Achilles tendon during practice.
Grant will miss the season, forcing the Browns to find another option to fix their lackluster return game. The 5-foot-6 Grant was signed as a free agent in the offseason to handle punt and kickoff returns.
He made the Pro Bowl for the first time last season while playing for Chicago (11 games) and Miami (four). Grant has returned four kickoffs for touchdowns and two punts for scores in six seasons as a pro.
BENGALS: Quarterback Joe Burrow is still on the mend from an appendectomy two weeks ago, and there is no timetable for his participation in training camp.
The third-year quarterback, who last season led Cincinnati to its first Super Bowl in 33 years, has been observing practice from a golf cart or scooter. His father, Jimmy Burrow, told radio analyst Dave Lapham on the “In the Trenches” podcast Friday that it might be a “few weeks” before his son is able to practice.
“It set him back,” Jimmy Burrow said of the surgery. “But he seems to be getting better every day, and hopefully, here in a few weeks we’ll be back out on the field.”
Backup quarterback Brandon Allen is expected to play the first half of Friday’s game against the Cardinals, and Jake Browning the second half. The Bengals host AFC North rival Pittsburgh in the season opener Sept. 11.
Coach Zac Taylor is not too worried about the preseason. Burrow was mostly held out of preseason games last summer as he recovered from knee surgery.
“You can give (Burrow) a lot of credit. He’s a smart guy, he’s repped the stuff before,” Taylor said. “But again, we want to make sure that leading up to Pittsburgh that we haven’t been skipping steps in terms of areas of the field we want to be able to work on. So there will be a lot of consideration, when he does get back into the mix, how we structure the practice periods to make sure he’s getting a lot of the work he needs.”
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