The Cleveland Browns have been without Deshaun Watson in all but four games this season. One of those games saw him leave injured after five pass attempts. But as the Browns look to stay afloat in the playoff race, Watson took his first step towards a full return.

Watson took part in practice on Wednesday, via Adam Schefter of ESPN. Still, head coach Kevin Stefanski wasn't ready to declare Watson back just yet, via Andrew Sicilliano of the NFL Network.

“I'm not making any game day decisions today,” Stefanski said.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson with the medical cross logo in the background.

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Watson's Way

Watson hasn't played a full game since Week 3. While he made a brief return in Week 7, something clearly wasn't right. The quarterback has been battling through a serious shoulder injury. Stefanski has held Watson out just to ensure he remains healthy. Watson nor his shoulder injury are out of the water yet. But a practice return is a good sign for Watson's immediate future.

Despite having Watson out of the lineup, Cleveland has been able to maintain a 4-3 record. They've yet to lose two games in a row this year and even took out the San Francisco 49ers. However, it certainly hasn't been due to their quarterback play. While Dorian Thompson-Robinson and PJ Walker were thrown into a tough situation, neither has looked like the franchise's QB1.

But neither is paid nor required the draft capital that Deshaun Watson did. Cleveland has been taking a cautious approach, ensuring Watson doesn't suffer any further injury. His Wednesday practice return shows the approach is working and that the QB could soon make his return to the gridiron.