Head Coach Todd Monken announced that Deshaun Watson will start at quarterback in Week 1. It’s a controversial decision, especially after his poor performance in the second half of the preseason game against the Buffalo Bills and his comments during the postgame press conference
. His criticism of the fans for booing is likely to make for an even more hostile atmosphere when the Cleveland Browns return to Huntington Bank Field for their first home game in Week 3.Sources have said that the team went
with Watson because of the experience he brings to the table compared to Shedeur Sanders. The coaching staff evaluated both quarterbacks throughout training camp and the first two preseason games and ultimately concluded that Watson is more ready.
Earlier in the process, some believed Dillon Gabriel was making a push to join the competition, but that never came to fruition. Monken could have also waited longer to make the decision, giving each a quarter in the third preseason game. Instead, the Cleveland head coach gave the team three weeks to prepare for Week 1 with Watson.
Watson has not played in a regular-season game since 2024 and is still working his way back from an Achilles injury, raising questions about whether he can keep pace with the speed of the game. Starting Sanders would have offered more upside, as he is only in the second year of his career and still has plenty of room to develop, while Watson’s play has declined significantly from the peak of his career. If Watson comes out slow against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the questions about this decision will only grow.
Let me know what you think in the comments – How would you have handled the decision?
Join the conversation!
Sign up for a user account and get:
- Fewer ads
- Create community posts
- Comment on articles, community posts
- Rec comments, community posts
- New, improved notifications system!
