Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken named Deshaun Watson the Week 1 starting quarterback over Shedeur Sanders for the September 13 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, prompting Watson to address the fan backlash and emotional comments that followed his preseason outing at Huntington Bank Field.
First-year Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken upset pockets of Cleveland Browns fans on Monday when he officially named Deshaun Watson the club’s Week 1 starting quarterback over Shedeur Sanders. Monken made that decision after some Cleveland fans booed Watson during the club’s preseason home game versus the Buffalo Bills this past Saturday and after Watson ripped those supporters for what he referred to as “disrespectful” conduct. The quarterback competition came down to a closely contested offseason evaluation that weighed the complete body of work across training camp, preseason games, and the joint practice, with Monken taking in the full body of work over the course of the offseason.
Todd Monken Names Deshaun Watson Starter Over Shedeur Sanders
Monken explained that the coaching staff evaluated the entire offseason before reaching their conclusion. Ultimately, to start the season on the road, Deshaun gives the team the best chance to move the ball and score points. Monken stressed that the competition was close and praised the progress Sanders made after starting seven games as a rookie. While Monken said on Monday that the depth chart is not a week-to-week decision,
some think that he could turn to Sanders for Cleveland’s home opener against the Carolina Panthers on September 27 if the Browns end Week 2 with a record of 0-2.
The Browns acquiring Watson from the Houston Texans and then giving him a fully guaranteed five-year, $230M contract in March 2022 is seen as one of the worst roster-based decisions ever made by an NFL franchise. During his first season with Cleveland, he served an 11-game suspension related to allegations of sexual misconduct during massage sessions. He has since made just 19 regular-season starts, going 9-10 as Cleveland’s starter with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, and he was arguably the worst starting quarterback of the 2024 season before he suffered the first of two Achilles injuries in October of that year. After Watson’s Achilles injury, owner Jimmy Haslam called the blockbuster trade a big swing and miss.
Now entering the final year of his contract, Watson has one more chance to prove the Browns’ faith is justified.
Fan Backlash and Preseason Boos Spark Emotional Response
The announcement followed a tense weekend at Huntington Bank Field, where the Browns suffered a 31-7 preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills, and Watson was booed during his appearance. On Monday afternoon, Watson addressed his reaction to what took place over the weekend, acknowledging that “human nature” and “emotionsgot the best of him when he fired back at the Browns fans who booed him on multiple occasions. Watson cited cheering from home fans when he tore his Achilles as an example of that before going on to say that he feels
like I get more love on road gamesand that it's a
mental battle every day” because of the reception he gets at the team’s stadium.
I thought I was gonna get a little different response, but I think my emotions got the best of me,
Watson explained. My comments weren't intended to go at any of the fans around in the city, because there's been a lot of great fans that have been supporting me.
Deshaun Watson
Watson acknowledged that Browns fans have plenty of reasons to be frustrated, noting that he put in a lot of time these last two years to get back, spend time in the facility and city, and meet a lot of people in the community.
I understand the frustration,
Watson said about the boos he heard this past Saturday. “I understand everything that kind of goes into that. And moving forward, I wanna focus on football, making sure that I’m putting the best product out there, having the best ability. I thrive off the energy. I thrive off the energy of the fans. I thrive off the energy of the community. I thrive off all that stuff. …So again, my emotions got the best of me. I’m a human. I take full responsibility of that. And just moving forward, I wanna make sure that I put the best product for the team, for the organization, and for the city.”
Deshaun Watson
Focus Shifts to Regular Season Opener in Jacksonville
Browns head coach Todd Monken has said multiple times in recent days that he thinks winning will make a lot of the bad feelings around Watson and the team go away, and the quarterback now has a chance to prove that’s the case. Watson said it felt great to learn that he will be in that role and that he hopes to make his next home appearance in Week 3 a more pleasant one.
I just want to make sure I can give the city something to think about in the first two games and when we come back home, we have something to cheer about and we can celebrate and do what we want to do, Watson said
Watson hasn’t played in a regular-season game since he went down with the initial Achilles injury, but he will now start Cleveland’s Week 1 contest at the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 13. The Browns’ Week 2 game will be a matchup at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 20.
I have another shot. I have another chance. So I wanna make sure I take full responsibility of this opportunity,
Watson said.
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