First-year coach Todd Monken ignores preseason drama and home-crowd tension to crown Deshaun Watson his Week 1 starter against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Cleveland Browns quarterback competition reached its climactic conclusion.
First-year head coach Todd Monken has officially tabbed Deshaun Watson as his team's starting quarterback when the team opens up the regular season on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Sept. 13, according to multiple reports.
It's a decision that comes after a multi-month evaluation of both Watson and Shedeur Sanders, dating back to the offseason program this spring. It also, perhaps stunningly to some fans, comes on the heels on Watson venting about his frustrations of being booed by the hometown crowd at Huntington Bank Field during Saturday's preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills on Saturday.
"Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles, and that same fan base cheered when I got hurt. So, what does that have to do with anything about performance?" Watson said in his now-viral postgame presser. "When a person gets hurt, especially in their own city, and they cheer.”
At one point, he even suggested the season could feel like playing 17 road games if he's named starter, because of how he's received in Cleveland's home stadium.
Monken was adamant that Watson's comments wouldn't factor into his decision to name a starter for Week 1, and kept his word. Cleveland's head man has also already stated that he won't play the team's starters for their third and final preseason game against the New England Patriots on Thursday night.
In Watson's final preseason outing, he completed just 5-of-12 passes for 34 yards and tossed an interception. He also rushed two times for 13 yards. It was a far cry from his preseason debut, which saw him string together two scoring drives, while completing 11-of-15 passes for 126 yards and rushing for four yards.
Monken has remained adamant that his decision would be about the full body of work from both signal callers. Evidently, Watson provided more of what he's looking for in his starting QB right now.
For Watson, it sets the stage for the team's season opener to be his 20th start with the Browns, since coming over in the blockbuster trade with the Houston Texans in 2022. It will also be his first start since Week 7 of 2024, when he ruptured his Achilles in a home loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Sanders, meanwhile, will be expected to serve as the primary backup to Watson. Monken has raved about the work put in by Sanders to improve his game this offseason, but ultimately settled on the nine-year veteran over a second-year QB, who may still be developing.
