Deshaun Watson in good spirits as rehab begins; Denzel Ward not slated for IR; Joe Flacco not No. 2 for Broncos: Browns Insider

DENVER - The Browns will have to do without The Warden Sunday against the 5-5 Broncos, but it could’ve been worse.

Denzel Ward, the Browns’ No. 1 cornerback, suffered a shoulder injury vs. the Steelers that could keep him out multiple games, but it’s not bad enough to land him on injured reserve for the required minimum of four games.

Ideally, Ward would be back for the Rams game in Los Angeles next week, but the Browns aren’t sure yet if he’ll be up for that. The shoulder is a new injury from the Steelers game, and unrelated to the neck injury injury he suffered the week before on the helmet-to-helmet hit by left tackle Ronnie Stanley on an illegal blindside block.

Ward rallied after leaving the Ravens game early to face the Steelers, and finished the Steelers game despite suffering the injury at some point during the game. He played 96% of the snaps and played very well, ranking four among Browns defenders, according to Pro Football Focus.

Fortunately for the Browns, they’re deep at cornerback with three bona fide starters in Ward, Greg Newsome II and Martin Emerson Jr. With rookie Cam Mitchell still on injured reserve with a pulled hamstring, Mike Ford Jr. will step in as the third corner, and A.J. Green has been elevated from the practice squad. The Browns will face one of the better quarterbacks they’ve seen this season in Russell Wilson, who’s third in the NFL with a 104.3 rating, with 19 touchdown passes and only four interceptions.

Ward has been one of the premier cornerbacks in single coverage this season, allowing only a 26.8 passer rating when targeted, according to Pro Football Focus. In fact, safety Juan Thornhill, who’s expected to return this game from a calf injury that has cost him the past two games, has called him the best cornerback in the NFL.

Deshaun Watson began rehab in Friday, is in good spirits

Watson is in good spirits after undergoing surgery in Los Angeles on Tuesday and beginning his rehab on Friday.

Watson had the surgery on Tuesday and celebrated Thanksgiving with family and friends wearing a brace on the right throwing shoulder, in which he had the fractured glenoid bone repaired.

Watson will remain in Los Angeles for about a month to rehab with Dr. Neal ElAttrache’s medical team, but hopes to rejoin the Browns before January.

The good thing about him having the surgery in Los Angeles is that the Browns will be out there all this week to practice at UCLA before their game against the Rams. Watson will spend time with the team during meetings, practice and other activities over the next few days, and possibly attend the game.

But Watson and the Browns are optimistic about him making a full recovery well in advance of training camp, and he’s expected to start throwing in a few months.

Joe Flacco will likely climb to No. 2 this season, but not this week

Flacco has acclimated well to the Browns this week, and has been around long enough — this is his 16th season — to pick up systems fairly quickly. But the Browns won’t make him their backup quarterback this week in Denver.

They’ll stick with P.J. Walker behind Dorian Thompson-Robinson based on his familiarity with the team and the fact he’s already appeared in three games this, going 1-1 in his two starts, and pulling out the 39-38 victory over the Colts after coming in off the bench in the first quarter.

Walker threw only one touchdown pass and five interceptions in his three appearances, and Thompson-Robinson has thrown no touchdowns against four interceptions for a total of one TD and nine INTs between them. It’s why the Browns felt the need to add a veteran such as Flacco to upgrade the backup position for the home stretch.

But the Browns hope that Thompson-Robinson continues to develop each week, and that their former Super MVP doesn’t need to be called upon. Despite his impressive 31-30 come-from-behind victory over the Browns last year, Flacco is 1-8 in his last three seasons with the Jets, and 3-14 since leaving the Ravens, including 2-6 with the Broncos in 2019.

But Flacco is hungry to prove he can still play, and the Browns are the most talented team he’s been on since he left Baltimore after the 2018 season.

Dawand Jones is full-go and coming off an excellent game

Jones continues to excel and prove to be a steal in the fourth round out of Ohio State. Jones played mostly on third down against the Steelers last week because of knee and shoulder injuries, but he allowed no pressures by T.J. Watt in 25 pass block snaps.

Jones was so good that the Steelers did something they rarely do: moved Watt to the other side at times to try to create a mismatch with left tackle Geron Christian. It was the ultimate compliment to Jones, and bodes well for future matchups between Watt and “Big Thanos.”

But Jones was full-go on Thursday and Friday with just the knee injury this week, and will play a full game in Denver, where they don’t have near the edge rushers the Steelers do.

Anthony Walker Jr. might need another week; Rodney McLeod has successful biceps surgery

While Thornhill might return this week from his two-game absence, linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. might need another week to recover from the hamstring injury he suffered against the Steelers. Both are listed as questionable.

Thornhill’s return would be particularly welcome in the wake of safety Rodney McLeod’s season-ending torn biceps suffered during the Steelers game. McLeod underwent successful surgery this week and is expected to make a full recovery.

The Browns elevated safety Tanner McCalister from the practice squad to help make up for the loss of McLeod. The Browns play a lot of three-safety looks, and need all the help they can get.

LB Jordan Kunaszyk activated off injured reserve

The Browns activated linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk off injured reserve, where he placed Aug. 31st with a knee injury. He was designated for return on Nov. 22, and is ready to play. With Walker potentially sitting out, Kunaszyk will contribute both on defense and special teams.

Fines from Steelers game

Three players from the Browns 13-10 victory over the Steelers were fined for infractions: Steelers cornerback Patrick Peterson, $7,319 for a facemask on Jerome Ford in the first quarter; Steelers edge rusher Alex Highsmith $16,391 for a hit on Thompson-Robinson in the third quarter; and McLeod for unnecessary roughness in the second quarter.