NFL Rumors: Deshaun Watson didn't play for Browns despite being medically cleared
The Cleveland Browns held Deshaun Watson out of Sunday's 28-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens with a shoulder issue. Rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson started in Watson's place and struggled mightily, completing 19-of-36 passes for 121 yards and three interceptions.
An offseason of hype around DTR did not translate to the regular season. Watson hasn't been great since arriving in Cleveland, but he's a proven veteran who has gradually gotten more comfortable with his surroundings. He put together his best game of the season in Cleveland's Week 3 victory over Tennessee, but he suffered a shoulder injury late in the game.
Watson was medically cleared for the Browns' Week 4 matchup with the Ravens, but he made the executive decision to sit out.
It's not terribly common for NFL players who are medically cleared to request the night off, but as Kevin Stefanski says, Watson knows his body best. There's no reason for uproar or controversy here, even if the optics are slightly askew. The expectation is that Watson will be back on the field when the Browns tango with the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 15.
It feels like a strategic move on the part of Watson to get two weeks of rest in with Cleveland entering a buy week. Shoulder injuries are obviously tricky for QBs, so he can't be blamed for taking the cautious approach this early in the season. Just don't be surprised if this decision gets brought up again if the Browns find themselves in a tight battle for a postseason spot.
NFL Rumors: Steelers Kenny Pickett not out for rest of season
The Pittsburgh Steelers fell flat in Sunday's 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans. Even so, it was hard to focus on the result with all the concern about Kenny Pickett, who went down with a scary knee injury in the second half. Naturally, some fans immediately thought of the worst possible outcome.
Well, the Pittsburgh faithful were delivered a bit of good news on Monday. While Pickett is expected to miss some time, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the injury is not believed to be "season-ending."
Pickett doesn't have an official diagnosis yet, but the expectation is that he avoided a serious injury. That has to be a huge sigh of relief for the Steelers, who would be loath to endure a full season of Mitch Trubisky under center. There are serious problems to figure out offensively, but the team has a lot of faith in Pickett.
The Steelers' next game is Sunday with the red-hot Ravens coming to town. The loss to Houston set Pittsburgh back in the standings at 2-2, with 3-1 Baltimore now in sole possession of first place. The Steelers will have a chance to get back even for the top spot on Oct. 8, with a hope that T.J. Watt and the defense can hold Lamar Jackson and the new-look Ravens offense in check.
Don't expect Pickett to dress for that game. We should get more concrete updates in the near future as the Steelers get MRI results back and form a more clear timeline for Pickett's eventual return to play.
NFL Rumors: NFL source names best Chase Claypool trade destinations
Chase Claypool was a healthy scratch for the Chicago Bears' Week 4 loss to the Denver Broncos. It feels like a mutual decision after Claypool recently criticized the Chicago coaches and expressed concern about his role in the offense. Now, it's only a matter of days or weeks until Claypool arrives in a new city with a new uniform on his back.
Bears GM Ryan Poles is seeking a fifth or sixth-round pick in exchange for Claypool. Chicago traded a second-round pick to acquire Claypool from the Steelers last season, so the Bears are victims of sunk cost here. There's no going back on the Claypool trade, and the only viable way forward is to get him out of the locker room and away from the offense (which looked surprisingly competent in Claypool's absence on Sunday).
"No one is going to pay a high price for Chase Claypool," one NFL executive told Mike Lombardo of FanBuzz. "I don't know which teams would even really need him. But, if you look at teams like Philadelphia or Kansas City, maybe even Detroit ... Teams making championship runs could view him as a quality backup or depth piece."
Those are compelling possibilities for the 25-year-old out of Notre Dame. He's clearly frustrated with the losing in Chicago, not to mention the impotence of the offense. Claypool is not blameless — four catches on 14 targets for 51 yards this season — but perhaps a better system with a better culture would lead to more productive results.
Claypool is not far removed from a 956-yard sophomore campaign with the Steelers. At 6-foot-4, he's a monster athlete with the potential to serve as a dynamic deep-ball threat. That is, when he's going full speed and not blowing blocking assignments. Claypool will have to prove that he can win and embrace his role before any team gets too excited, but don't be shocked if a contender takes the low-risk, high-reward swing via trade.
