During the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback competition, it did not seem like Deshaun Watson’s ugly, notorious off-the-field past was playing any role in the decision at all. The Browns were able to keep the focus on his ability as compared to Shedeur Sanders, and even though there is some considerable debate about the results of that, it seemed like the proper way to determine the starter.
That was until Saturday happened. In the first home preseason game, in his first home action at Huntington Bank Field in almost two years, Watson was heartily booed by Browns fans. Then, when the veteran was ineffective running the offense, he was booed over and over again.
Afterward, Watson called that treatment “disrespectful” and said the boos were “personal” and had nothing to do with performance. He referenced the fact that the fans cheered when he injured his Achilles in October 2024.
With some bad blood clearly lingering on both sides, and coming off a dismal outing, head coach Todd Monken went ahead and named Watson the team’s starting quarterback anyway. A questionable decision even without these circumstances, it was seen as tone deaf at best and organizational malpractice at worst.
Former NFL player Emmanuel Acho is ripping the Browns for this “irrational” QB situation but said it is in line with what the “dumb” franchise usually does.
“Deshaun don’t like the fans, and the fans don’t like Deshaun, so how the hell you supposed to go into a season when your fan base, which is giving their hard-earned money on tickets, don’t like the quarterback, and the quarterback gotta go out there, not just for his family, name, and teammates, but you gotta go play for a fan base? This is an incredibly uncomfortable and irrational situation that Browns management have put the Cleveland Browns in. How the hell can you expect this organization to move forward? Unfortunately, this is just very in the character of the Cleveland Browns. It’s just kind of dumb,” Acho said.
"Deshaun Watson don't like the fans and the fans don't like Deshaun Watson… How the hell you supposed to go into this season like that?"
– @EmmanuelAcho responds to Deshaun Watson's presser where he called out the Cleveland Browns' fan base
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— Speakeasy (@speakeasytlkshw) August 25, 2026
It can be reasonably argued that an NFL head coach owes it to his players to give them the best chance to win each week, and that he owes nothing to the fans when making personnel decisions. That would work in most places, but Cleveland is not most places.
Watson has not only missed 49 of 68 games during his time here, but he also played poorly when he was able to take the field. The trade to acquire him cost the franchise three first-round picks and a $230 million contract that set them back to this day. That’s on top of the multiple lawsuits he faced linked to sexual assault allegations against him, which on their own are enough for some fans to want nothing to do with him.
With the team unlikely to contend for a playoff berth with Watson at quarterback, many fans would rather see how Sanders develops than watch his undesirable counterpart. Of course, if Sanders is awful, that could get old very quickly, but at least there would be a great pick in the 2027 NFL Draft as a reward.
It is a complete mess all around, and there does not seem to be any realistic way out of it for Monken, the Browns, or their fans.
NEXT: Browns QB Named Among Prime Cut Candidates In 2026
