Deshaun Watson enters concussion protocol after Browns report delayed symptoms

November 6 update: Shedeur Sanders will start in New Orleans

Cleveland coach Todd Monken named Shedeur Sanders the starter Friday for Sunday’s game against the Saints. It will be Sanders’ first start this season. Deshaun Watson is listed as questionable. He took part in individual drills Friday after missing practice Wednesday and Thursday, but did not take team reps. Monken cited that missed practice time in choosing Sanders.

Sanders has played in two games this season, completing one pass against Carolina and two against Pittsburgh. Much of his work with Cleveland’s starting offense came earlier, when he and Watson split first-team reps in training camp. Kickoff in New Orleans is Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern on CBS.

November 4: the Browns describe the evaluation

Deshaun Watson entered the NFL’s concussion protocol Tuesday after telling the Browns that symptoms had begun Monday night, Cleveland said in a statement Wednesday. The announcement followed Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh, during which Watson returned after a sideline evaluation.

According to the team, Watson took a helmet-to-helmet hit in the first quarter. An athletic trainer spotter called him to the sideline, where an unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant evaluated and cleared him. He returned for Cleveland’s next offensive series. The Browns said their medical staff also evaluated him after the game and Monday morning, with no symptoms reported and clearance given on both occasions.

The team said Watson reported the new symptoms Tuesday morning and was immediately placed in the protocol. Its Wednesday statement provides the sequence of evaluations and reported symptoms without announcing a timetable for his return.

The quarterback question for New Orleans

Cleveland visits the Saints on Sunday, November 8, at 1 p.m. Eastern on CBS. The Browns’ unofficial depth chart, published Tuesday, lists Shedeur Sanders behind Watson, followed by Dillon Gabriel and rookie Taylen Green. That chart establishes the listed order, but the Wednesday statement does not name a starter for New Orleans.