Kevin Stefanski 'confident' in what awaits with Deshaun Watson at quarterback after injury

BEREA — The questions for Kevin Stefanski on Saturday night centered on his team's loss in the AFC wild card game at the Houston Texans. The questions for the Browns coach on Sunday centered around the future.

Specifically, the future for the Browns at the quarterback position. And Stefanski reiterated the fact everyone knew. When the Browns reconvene in the spring to start offseason workouts, the starting quarterback will be Deshaun Watson.

What happens to Joe Flacco, who was signed off his couch to the practice squad on Nov. 20 before rejuvenating both himself and the Browns with a 4-1 stretch as a starter in the December that helped them reach the playoffs? That will be its own offseason melodrama to play out.

"I’d leave all those things up to obviously (general manager) Andrew (Berry) in this offseason," Stefanski said Sunday, a day after the Browns' season-ending wild card loss to the Texans. "I will say this about Joe: Joe was awesome for this football team. He did a great job. Battled like crazy. I know he enjoyed it. We obviously wish yesterday’s outcome was different, but I have a ton of respect for Joe and what he was able to do."

Flacco will be an unrestricted free agent when the new league year opens in March. The question for him is if he would be willing to hang around Cleveland as a backup to Watson.

Watson, though, comes with plenty of unanswered questions. The questions start with the right throwing shoulder on which the quarterback underwent season-ending surgery on Nov. 21 to repair a broken glenoid.

“He’s doing great in rehab," Stefanski said. "I’m confident he’ll be ready to roll this spring. He’s chomping at the bit, but he’s doing everything he’s supposed to do when it comes to what the doctors are telling him and as he rehabs through this, but he’ll be ready to roll.”

The conversation has been both similar and different regarding Watson heading into this offseason for the Browns. There remains a level of unknown with the quarterback, despite the two-year anniversary of the March 2022 trade that brought the quarterback to Cleveland from Houston.

Watson's first season, that unknown was brought upon by his off-field legal troubles involving the more than two dozen allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct during massage appointments. There was a limited sample size of from six games once he returned from suspension.

Now, coming out of his second season, the unknowns center around Watson's health. Both in the past tense, as in the shoulder problems that led to the wild quarterback carousel the Browns rode that ended up with Flacco starting, and in the future tense with how his shoulder will respond to the surgery.

All of that, in totality, amounts to 12 games played in two seasons for the quarterback who was acquired to be the answer to all of the Browns' questions at that position. Stefanski denies Watson's past availability has impacted the belief within the organization in the quarterback to whom they gave a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract.

"I would just tell you, Deshaun’s been in this system," Stefanski said. "He knows his teammates. He’ll rehab like he does. He’s attacking it already. So I just have a ton of confidence in him just based on the work he’s put in and what I’ve seen from him."

Watson's second season with the Browns may have been more frustrating than the first because everything seemed to stop and quickly as it started. He threw for 289 yards and posted a 123.4 passer rating in a Week 3 win over the Tennessee Titans, then went into a month-long stretch during which his availability was a constant question because of a rotator cuff strain.

A Week 9 return against a bad Arizona Cardinals team was followed by Watson's Cleveland apex to this point. Despite falling behind by as many as 15 points in the second half the next week at the Baltimore Ravens, Watson went 14-of-14 passing in the second half to lead the Browns to a come-from-behind win over the eventual AFC North champions.

"I think, again, it was three games and then [Watson] was out with the injury and then finally back and then again went out," Stefanski said. "So that was disappointing for Deshaun and he was disappointed that he wasn’t able to play more than that. But to lead his team, to play winning football in those games and to play the style that he played and the willing his team to victory there in that second half.

"And then just different moments throughout this season, making plays that are hard to coach. So I’m excited about him getting healthy, and we’re excited about getting him back here."

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns, Kevin Stefanski still committed to QB Deshaun Watson