Browns QB Deshaun Watson Wants Answer on Starting Job ASAP

Deshaun Watson wants to know who will be the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns as soon as possible.

If he wants to be the guy, Watson may want to wait for another chance to impress new head coach Todd Monken when the Browns host the New England Patriots on Thursday.

Saturday didn't go well for Watson on and off the field. He went just 5 of 12 passing for 36 yards and one interception, prompting boos from the crowd. Watson then decided it was a good time for him to lecture Browns fans on respect.

It would have been easy for the Browns to start Watson, deciding that Shedeur Sanders was too much of a distraction for the team. But Watson went and made himself a distraction by instigating the fan base. 

That could cost him the starting job, and it could hasten Monken's decision.

When speaking to reporters after the game, Watson said it would be valuable for the Browns to name a starting quarterback soon, as the offense needs to be on the same page with its signal-caller before the regular season starts.

“Yeah, I think it’s very valuable for whoever the position goes to," Watson said. "You’ve got to build that trust, you’ve got to build that rhythm, you’ve got to know how guys operate. 

"And not just for the quarterback, but for the whole team, for the whole offense, for the offensive line, being able to hear one cadence, one voice, walking in the huddle, being able to know how this person operates, when things break down, how this quarterback is going to operate. So yeah, I think it’s going to be helpful for not just the quarterback, but for the whole offense and the whole team.”

Watson believes he's shown enough at training camp to win the QB1 job. However, he's not getting his "hopes up" that he will be named the starter for the Browns' opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 13.

“I don’t know. I don’t even get my hopes up, honestly," Watson said of whether he believed he should be the starter. "I mean, yeah, I think I’ve done a good job to be able to lead this team and be a starter in this league. 

"But, again, I don’t know how other people feel internally, I haven’t talked to Coach Monken about that or anybody else. So, again, I’m just kind of open with you guys on how this is going to play out. I just take it one day at a time, and whenever that time comes, it comes.”

If that time comes.