Todd Monken is not ready to write off Deshaun Watson, and after Wednesday’s OTA session he made that abundantly clear.
The Browns head coach spoke about his quarterback competition and delivered a genuinely enthusiastic assessment of what Watson’s presence and attitude have meant to this team since the offseason program began.
“I’m all for a clean slate. I want the best for every player that we have, every coach. I want the best for anybody in this world to have a great life. I think it’s really cool that he still has an opportunity with a change to showcase his ability, see where he’s at. I’m all for it. He’s made plenty of money. I think we all know that. He’s had plenty of success and has had disappointment in his career. A number of things he couldn’t control from an injury standpoint. But to come back and want to battle, want to further his career and change the narrative, I think it’s really cool,” Monken said.
Monken is not walking into this competition with a predetermined outcome. He is not simply going through the motions of evaluating Watson while waiting to hand the job to Sanders. He is telling everyone publicly that Watson deserves a real chance, that the injuries he dealt with were largely out of his control, and that a player who wants to battle and change the narrative is someone worth rooting for regardless of what the circumstances look like from the outside.
Watson’s numbers from Wednesday backed up that sentiment. He went 13-21 with a touchdown and no interceptions, the cleanest day of any quarterback on the roster taking meaningful reps. The physical tools were clearly on display, and Monken is seeing enough in practice to feel genuinely good about what Watson is bringing to the competition.
The question about Watson has always been about durability, about whether a body that has been through two torn Achilles tendons and a shoulder injury can withstand the punishment of a full 17-game NFL season at a high level.
Monken is not dismissing those concerns. But he is also not letting them influence the evaluation before Watson has had a fair chance to prove himself on the field. A clean slate means exactly that. Prove it on the field, earn the job the right way, and let the best quarterback win.
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