Home openers are usually a celebration in the NFL. The stadium is full, the energy is high and fans are ready to cheer for the players they have been waiting all summer to see. In Cleveland, though, one player’s introduction always comes with a different kind of tension. Even after a big road win, Deshaun Watson’s first home game of 2026 is shaping up to be complicated.
Bruce Drennan, the longtime Cleveland sports broadcaster, weighed in on what Watson should expect when he takes the field against the Carolina Panthers.
“Watson is going to get booed Sunday. It’s inevitable. He could go 19 of 20, but because of that one incompletion, he will get booed. I said all along here in the preseason, and now it shows. He gives us the best chance of winning,” Drennan said.
"Deshaun Watson is going to get booed Sunday. It's inevitable. He could go 19 of 20, but because of that one incompletion, he will get booed." #DawgPound
– @Bruce_Drennan https://t.co/leof0dBUTS pic.twitter.com/XE9GvyndX9
— BIGPLAY Cleveland (@BIGPLAYcle) September 24, 2026
It is hard to argue with the first part of that prediction. Browns fans have lived through decades of losing, and their patience with Watson ran out a long time ago.
The frustration starts with the investment. Cleveland sent 3 first-round picks to Houston in 2022 and handed Watson a 5-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract. What followed was a steady mix of inconsistent play and injuries that kept him off the field for long stretches, including all of 2025.
That is why one good afternoon is not going to change how people feel. Last Sunday was one of his best games in a Browns uniform. He earned an 88.8 PFF passing grade, found Denzel Boston for a 55-yard touchdown and led the rally from a 10-point deficit in the 3rd quarter to beat the Buccaneers 23-19 on the road.
Watson won the starting job over Shedeur Sanders in the summer, and Todd Monken has stood behind that decision even as a large portion of the fanbase wanted to see Sanders under center.
Watson has not pretended to know how the crowd will react. He told reporters he is not sure what kind of reception he will get, but he is ready to feed off the energy in the building.
This is also the final year of Watson’s contract, which means every week is an audition for his future in the league. Sunday is the next opportunity. Another win at home will not erase the boos, but a string of them might eventually quiet them.
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