Ever since Todd Monken named Deshaun Watson as the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback earlier this week, people have been perplexed, trying to find a reasonable explanation. Shedeur Sanders would have been the much more popular choice, and even if there was a gap in talent between him and Watson, it did not seem to be vast enough to warrant the backlash.
However, at his core, Monken is a football coach, and even more than most others, he seems to have no patience for the PR portion of his job. His direct approach clearly conveys an attitude that he is going to do it his way, and that is the only right way to do it.
Also, having waited his entire career for this opportunity, the 60-year-old is not about to look ahead to next season or beyond. He has no desire to wait for his first NFL victory, and he must believe, despite some damning evidence to the contrary, that Watson gives him the best chance to get it as soon as possible.
Browns legend Joe Thomas had an honest admission about Monken’s QB decision, defending the coach by saying there’s a lot more that goes on behind the scenes than critics of the choice may realize.
“[Todd Monken’s] gonna make decisions on what he feels is best for the franchise to win today. When he has worked with these quarterbacks throughout the offseason, he’s looking at his offense. He wants a guy that can take the play at the line of scrimmage, see the defense, get to another play quickly. He feels like that is Deshaun Watson as of today. There’s context that’s involved in Todd Monken’s mind: what he’s seen throughout training camp, what he’s seen in the meeting rooms. In the preseason, there’s just not much of the playbook that you put out there,” Thomas said.
"When (Monken) has worked with these QBs thoughout the offseason, he's looking at his offense…he feels like that is Deshaun Watson as of today. There's context that's involved in Todd Monken's mind (with preseason play). In the preseason, there's just not much of the playbook… pic.twitter.com/qxxu4gAREB
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) August 26, 2026
Monken should be given credit for having such a strong belief in his offensive system, which has proven to be successful in recent stints as the coordinator at the University of Georgia and with the Baltimore Ravens. But the rigidity and devotion to it, demonstrated by his choice of Watson, is costing him support from the Browns’ fan base.
That may not be important to Monken now, but it could become crucial to his future if his long-shot bet on the highly unpopular veteran QB does not pay off. Getting booed during a preseason game is one thing, but if the entire crowd is against the home team in a regular-season game, based on one particular choice, that is a heavy burden to overcome.
Maybe Monken will be proven right, and Watson will be able to win games thanks to his pre-snap proficiency, but it will have to be a lot of victories to convince the huge contingent of angry skeptics.
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