Deshaun Watson's return to Browns practice not altering QB Jacoby Brissett's approach

BEREA, Ohio — Deshaun Watson returned to the practice field for the Browns on Wednesday. It was his first time there since his NFL personal conduct policy suspension started.

Also on the practice field Wednesday was the quarterback who will actually be the Browns' starter, not just this Sunday at Buffalo, but also the following week when Tampa Bay comes to Cleveland. The job remains Jacoby Brissett's until Watson comes back from his 11-game suspension Dec. 4 at Houston.

So, how do you balance getting reps for not one, but two quarterbacks?

“How do I? That’s not my job to balance it," Brissett said prior to Wednesday's practice. "It’s coach’s job to balance how he splits things up and stuff like that. I just have to go out there and prepare like I always prepare. Do my job and then control what I can control. That’s something I can’t control, and I’m honestly not trying to.”

Wednesday, Watson went through his first on-field workout since Aug. 30 when he participated in the Browns' morning walkthrough, then was on the field again for the afternoon full practice. Only the first 25 minutes of the practice was open to the media, during which time Watson only worked in various individual drills with the other quarterbacks.

Coach Kevin Stefanski was asked before practice if the plan for Watson included giving him reps with first-team offense, and he declined to provide an answer. It was similar to how he approached the same questions during both the offseason program and training camp, up until the point when the actual suspension terms were finalized with the Aug. 18 announcement of the settlement between Watson and the NFL.

“I think as you remember, things were changing in the moment there with some of those details of suspension and those type of things," Stefanski said. "Once you know the rules of the return to play, that is when we really accelerated the conversations on what it should look like when he is eligible to practice. That is where we are now.”

The plan during the offseason and first part of training camp involved Watson essentially getting all of the first-team reps. It was only after the preseason opener at Jacksonville — which he started in his only on-field appearance since his final game for the Texans on Jan. 3, 2021 — that plans were put in motion to get Brissett ready to start the regular-season opener.

Now, almost three months to the day Watson's suspension was finalized, plans for using him in practice had to be put in place. However, they had to also include plans for Brissett, who said he was comfortable with how the two will be used.

“Oh, yeah, for sure," Brissett said. "We’ve talked about a lot of things going into practice about how things will be split up, and I feel confident that I’ll be more than fine going into the game.”

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The Browns have known this day was coming from the moment they acquired Watson in a trade with the Texans on March 18. The very next day, March 19, they signed Brissett to a one-year free agent deal to serve as his backup, as well as the interim starter.

Months ago, when the two transactions happened, it was just a concept. Now, it's the Browns' reality.

Brissett has been solid, if not spectacular at times, over the first nine games, despite the Browns' 3-6 record. He's also established himself as a locker-room leader, which leads to questions about a potentially weird situation developing among the players.

"Won't be awkward at all," running back Nick Chubb said. "Jacoby's our quarterback. He has been since the beginning of the season. So it won't be awkward at all. But we're also excited to see Deshaun come out and get some reps and see how he's doing."

Watson's suspension began at 4 p.m. Aug. 30. He was at the facility that day until departing shortly after 3 p.m., as the Browns were beginning that day's practice.

From that day through Oct. 9, Watson was forbidden from having any contact with the Browns. However, the first stage of his return happened Oct. 10, when he was allowed back in the building to do off-field things such as participate in meetings, work with the strength and conditioning staff and get treatment.

None of those activities, though, involved getting Watson up to speed on the field while also getting Brissett ready to actually start the next game.

“Ultimately, I don’t know that there is a handbook," Stefanski said. "For us, we are just with the information available to us trying to make good decisions for the team. Again, Deshaun can come back to practice. That is the next step. We will get him out there in practice.

"Jacoby is starting. He is going to put everything he has into this game like he does each week. His preparation is not changing. My preparation with him is not changing. It is just a matter of finding the right amount, and that is something that we just have to work through."

Contact Chris at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Deshaun Watson makes return to Cleveland Browns practice