Todd Monken has an awful lot of questions to answer now that he has named Deshaun Watson the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback. It is an unpopular decision thanks to a lot more than simply playing football.
Browns fans cheered when Watson suffered his Achilles injury two years ago, and they booed when he returned to take the field in a preseason game on Saturday. It says all anyone needs to know about how they feel about him, and that was before he played poorly against the Buffalo Bills in a 31-7 loss.
Speaking to the media after choosing Watson over Shedeur Sanders, Monken got honest about his decision to start the veteran over the much more popular younger player.
“Deshaun is gonna start against Jacksonville. Took in the full body of work over the course of offseason to training camp to the games to joint practice. It ultimately felt like, to start the season on the road, Deshaun gave us the best chance to move the ball and score points. That’s really what it’s about. Felt that way going into the last game, but wasn’t sure. After we relooked at everything, we’re going to go that direction,” Monken said.
Browns coach Todd Monken on decision to start Deshaun Watson pic.twitter.com/e4njLNsqK5
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) August 24, 2026
It is unclear what Monken saw from Watson’s most recent outing when he re-examined it. After averaging just 4.4 air yards per attempt in the preseason opener against the Chicago Bears, Watson managed just 36 yards on 12 attempts against the Bills, with 20 yards coming on one pass. He also threw an interception, was 0-for-5 on third or fourth down, and had a passer rating of 14.8.
Sanders played the first half, completed his first eight passes, and led the Browns’ only touchdown drive. He posted 74 passing yards and also had an interception, but his passer rating was 87.1.
Watson reportedly fared much better playing with the Browns’ first-team offense against the Bills’ first-team defense in a joint practice on Thursday. That seemed to be the clinching moment for Monken, though there may be other things going on behind the scenes.
Monken’s reference to the first two games being on the road, at the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is telling. The coach clearly believes that Watson is better equipped to run his demanding and difficult offense in that environment, even though Sanders has shown more big-play ability during the preseason.
It also gives Watson a softer landing to return to NFL action, as he will not have to face the wrath of Browns fans should things go poorly in his first outing since October 2024.
NEXT: Insider Believes Browns Made Right Decision With Deshaun Watson
