National Football League

Browns QB Deshaun Watson out Week 8, PJ Walker to start

Published Oct. 25, 2023 1:49 p.m. ET

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski announced Wednesday that quarterback Deshaun Watson will miss the team's Week 8 road matchup against the Seattle Seahawks due to his ongoing shoulder injury. PJ Walker will start at quarterback.

Stefanski expressed that he wanted Watson to focus on rehabbing his already injured right shoulder, as the quarterback is experiencing "residual swelling" that's affecting his throwing.

Watson originally suffered the injury in the Browns' Week 3 win over the Tennessee Titans and will miss his third game of the season. Dorian Thompson-Robinson started for Cleveland in Week 4, but Walker got the nod for the team's thrilling Week 6 victory over the San Francisco 49ers after its bye week.

Deshaun Watson sidelined in Browns' win vs. Colts

This past week, the Browns won another enthralling game, this time against the Indianapolis Colts, with Walker coming in for Watson in the first quarter. The win moved Cleveland to 4-2 and into a tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers for second in the AFC North.

Across the two games (one start) he has appeared in this season, Walker has totaled 370 passing yards, zero passing touchdowns, three interceptions and a 48.2 passer rating, while completing 50.0% of his passes.

Meanwhile, Watson has totaled 683 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, three interceptions and an 80.9 passer rating, while completing 61.7% of his passes. He has also run for 83 yards and one touchdown.

Cleveland's Week 8 bout against Seattle kicks off Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET and can be viewed on FOX and the FOX Sports app.

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