The people who held out hope that Todd Monken was going to be right about Deshaun Watson were putting their faith in the fact that they didn’t get to watch practice and that Watson must be much, much better behind the scenes than he looked during the preseason. That was after he was one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL when he last played in the regular season almost two years ago.
Well, it did not take very long at all to prove that practice did not make perfect. Five snaps into the season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Watson threw an interception, which was a trait that plagued him during training camp.
Not only that, he managed just 100 passing yards through the first three quarters, which was nearly identical to his production from the preseason. Much like those games, Cleveland wound up suffering a blowout loss, but this 34-10 defeat actually counts.
That left longtime analyst Tony Rizzo questioning what the Browns saw in Watson, with the veteran showing that his better days are long behind him.
“I’ve done this for 40 years. Could you imagine covering the Browns for 40 years? I’ve done it. You’re tellin’ me that was the best chance to win? Was Deshaun Watson? He’s a shell of himself. The guy’s shot. 680 days is 680 days. He looked like he hadn’t played in 1,680 days. He couldn’t hit a receiver. He was checking down. He was rattled. He can’t do this. You’re telling me that’s what you saw in practice, and you marched that out there? I don’t know what they’re watching in practice,” Rizzo said.
"You're tellin' me THAT was the best chance to win!? Deshaun Watson!? He's a SHELL of himself." @TheRealTRizzo | @ESPNCleveland https://t.co/2ynt5UX6fM pic.twitter.com/v81vN0RqR1
— UNSPORTSMANLIKE (@UnSportsESPN) September 14, 2026
There were so many reasons for Monken to have taken the much easier path and name Shedeur Sanders the starting quarterback instead. But the first-time NFL coach was almost defiant in his support of his choice and somewhat arrogant about what he was going to be able to do with Watson running his demanding offense.
Instead, it was a failure all the way around, with the possible exception of Watson’s modest running ability. In the first half, Cleveland had five total first downs on its six drives, did not convert a third down, and fell behind 24-0.
The score reached 34-3 before Watson showed any ability to move the offense. His 105 passing yards in the fourth quarter inflated his stats, and the fact that he was still in there to throw a TD in the final two minutes may have been another defiant act by Monken.
Now, there is a legitimate question whether Watson will start the upcoming game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, regardless of how he might perform in practice this week.
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