Deshaun Watson returned to practice with the Cleveland Browns for the first time since copping an 11-game ban, but head coach Kevin Stefanski insists preparing quarterback Jacoby Brissett remains the priority.
Watson was suspended for 11 games in August for violating the league's personal conduct policy by committing sexual assault, per the NFL, on massage therapists.
The quarterback, who was traded to the Browns in the offseason, was last week permitted to return to sit in on team meetings and work out at their training facility, but Wednesday marked the first time since August 30 he practiced with the team.
Brissett has started all nine games this season for the Browns, who are 3-6, although it has been slated that Watson will slot straight back in when available in Week 13 against his former franchise, the Houston Texans.
In the meantime, Stefanski insisted that striking the balance in reps between preparing Brissett for the upcoming games, including Sunday's clash with the Buffalo Bills, was a consideration as they re-integrate Watson.
"Deshaun can come back to practice. That's the next step," Stefanski told reporters. "We'll get him out there in practice but Jacoby is starting.
"He's going to put everything in this game, like he does each week, his preparation is not changing. My preparation with him is not changing. It's just a matter of finding the right amount. That's something we need to work through."
Brissett was confident he would be prepared and ready to face the Bills, even if he splits practice reps with Watson.
"That's not my job to balance it. That's the coach's job to balance how he splits things up," Brissett said. "I just have to go out there and prepare how I always prepare, do my job and then control what I can control.
"We've talked about a lot of things going into practice about how things will be split up. I feel confident that I'll be more than fine going into the game."
Brissett has a 63.8 per cent completion rate for 2,074 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions this season.
Lake-effect snowfall is forecast for the western New York region over coming days ahead of the Bills-Browns game at Bills Stadium on Sunday.
Cowboys quarterback Prescott reportedly expected to miss multiple weeks with hamstring injury
The path to the play-offs is now even tougher for the Dallas Cowboys.
Quarterback Dak Prescott will reportedly miss several weeks with a hamstring injury sustained in Sunday's 27-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
The severity of the injury was determined following an MRI, and reported Monday from multiple media outlets.
Prescott is planning to get a second opinion, and the Cowboys have not decided if they will place him on injured reserve, which would keep him on the sideline a minimum of four games.
Prescott, who signed a record-breaking, $240million contract hours before this season's opener, suffered the injury late in the third quarter.
He was replaced by Cooper Rush, and the seven-year backup will get the start this Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Rush completed 13-of-25 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons, but couldn't rally Dallas all the way back.
The Cowboys ended up losing their third straight game to drop to 3-5, which matches the total number of losses the team had each of the last three seasons.
They now sit in third place in the NFC East, 3 1/2 games behind the division-leading Washington Commanders.
Rush has found some success as a fill-in starter for the Cowboys, though, the 30-year-old hasn't been forced into the starting role since 2022.
In six career starts for Dallas, he's gone 5-1 with 1,281 passing yards with seven touchdowns, four interceptions and an 83.6 rating.
There is some good news for the Cowboys, though, as star defensive end Micah Parsons is likely to return this Sunday after missing the last four games with a high-ankle sprain.
Cowboys quarterback Prescott expected to miss multiple weeks with hamstring injury
The path to the play-offs is now even tougher for the Dallas Cowboys.
Quarterback Dak Prescott will reportedly miss several weeks with a hamstring injury sustained in Sunday's 27-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
The severity of the injury was determined Monday following an MRI.
Prescott is planning to get a second opinion, and the Cowboys have not decided if they will place him on injured reserve, which would keep him on the sideline a minimum of four games.
Prescott, who signed a record-breaking, $240million contract hours before this season's opener, suffered the injury late in the third quarter.
He was replaced by Cooper Rush, and the seven-year backup will get the start this Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Rush completed 13-of-25 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons, but couldn't rally Dallas all the way back.
The Cowboys ended up losing their third straight game to drop to 3-5, which matches the total number of losses the team had each of the last three seasons.
They now sit in third place in the NFC East, 3 1/2 games behind the division-leading Washington Commanders.
Rush has found some success as a fill-in starter for the Cowboys, though, the 30-year-old hasn't been forced into the starting role since 2022.
In six career starts for Dallas, he's gone 5-1 with 1,281 passing yards with seven touchdowns, four interceptions and an 83.6 rating.
There is some good news for the Cowboys, though, as star defensive end Micah Parsons is likely to return this Sunday after missing the last four games with a high-ankle sprain.
Stumbling Saints fire head coach Allen
The New Orleans Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen on Monday, one day after the team’s losing streak reached seven games with a 23-22 defeat to the lowly Carolina Panthers.
New Orleans got off to an unexpected strong start to the 2024 season by outscoring its first two opponents 91-29 in a pair of victories.
The Saints lost their next two games by just a combined five points, but then it really started to unravel for the team.
New Orleans’ next four defeats all came by 13 points or more, and on Sunday, the Panthers pulled out a 23-22 win over the Saints after Carolina entered the meeting with a 1-7 record.
Allen was promoted from New Orleans' defensive coordinator to head coach after the 2021 season, and the Saints posted an 18-25 record under him with no play-off appearances.
The Saints (2-7) are expected to name special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi as interim head coach ahead of their Week 10 visit from the NFC South-leading Atlanta Falcons (6-3).
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