Head coach Kevin Stefanski and the Cleveland Browns are currently taking part in the NFL preseason in preparation for the upcoming 2024 campaign, which is set to begin in under a month. The Browns are coming off of a season in which starting quarterback Deshaun Watson went down with a season ending injury and a Joe Flacco hot streak wasn't enough to get Stefanski's team out of the first round of the playoffs.

This offseason, all eyes have been on Watson's health as he recovers from a shoulder injury in early November of 2023 that broke a bone and kept him out for the rest of the year. Watson has yet to appear for the Browns so far in preseason Stefanski recently confirmed that will remain the case next week.

“Browns QB Deshaun Watson won’t play in the second preseason game vs. the Vikings, so joint practices could be the most extensive action he gets against an opposing team before Week 1,” reported Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN on X, formerly Twitter.

However, there was a bit more of a positive update as well from Stefanski on Sunday.

“…Watson has been cleared for full contact, Kevin Stefanski said. Watson will get the ‘vast majority' of reps in joint practices with the Vikings,” reported Oyefusi.

A positive update

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) participates in drills before an NFL preseason football game at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK

Any time a player is cleared for full contact in the NFL, or any sport for that matter, when coming off of an injury, it signals a positive update as it pertains to their progression.

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Watson didn't exactly light it up to begin last year prior to his injury, as the Browns stumbled out of the gates and the former Clemson football star's numbers continued to dwindle. This occurred on the heels of Watson's first season in a Browns uniform, in which he began the year by serving an 11 game suspension and looked like a shell of his Houston Texans self when he did take the field.

While the Browns continue to have one of the better defenses in the NFL led by Myles Garrett, who was recently ranked by his peers as one of the league's best players in a poll, they will need a lot more out of Watson this year if they are truly going to compete in an AFC playoff picture filled with potential juggernauts.

In any case, the regular season for the Browns is set to get underway on September 8 vs the Dallas Cowboys.