New Browns head coach Todd Monken opted to stay the course in Cleveland and will start Deshaun Watson at quarterback in Week 1 of the regular season, according to multiple media reports Monday.
The team was informed of the decision Monday, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported.
Watson and Shedeur Sanders competed for the starting job in training camp, rotating reps with the first-team offense in practice and preseason games.
Cleveland covets stability at the position, and Watson was viewed as the potential answer when he was acquired from the Houston Texans prior to the 2022 season. As part of the trade, Watson signed a five-year, $230 million contract. But after starting his tenure with the team serving a suspension, he has been hindered by injuries and is just 9-10 as a starter in Cleveland. He hasn’t played more than seven games in any of his three seasons with the Browns.
Watson did not play last season while recovering from two surgeries to repair his Achilles. Watson tore his right Achilles tendon in October 2024 and a recurrence of the same injury during rehab prompted a second operation.
Sanders, a fifth-round pick in 2025, was thrown into the lineup as a rookie. With Watson on injured reserve all season, the Browns began the season with Joe Flacco as the starter but traded him to the Cincinnati Bengals. Dillon Gabriel, a third-round rookie in 2025, was named the starter but Sanders took over in November. He had seven touchdown passes and 10 interceptions in eight games.
The Browns begin the 2026 regular season with two road games: Sept. 13 at the Jacksonville Jaguars and the following week at Tampa Bay. Cleveland’s first home game is Sept. 27 against the Carolina Panthers.
Watson likely needs a strong start to the regular season to win back a fan base that appears to be running out of patience. Watson was showered with boos by home fans during Saturday’s preseason game and said it was “personal.” He played the second half against Buffalo and completed 5 of 12 passes for 36 yards and an interception
“It’s a little bit (more) personal than that. So I think it’s a disrespectful thing,” Watson said of being booed at home. “So yeah, I mean, I’m going to keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally on how I feel about that. And yeah, just move on.”
Watson turns 31 the day after the Week 1 opener.
Monken, hired to replace Kevin Stefanski, is a first-time head coach after serving as the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive coordinator for the last three seasons. He said Watson and the Browns can avoid being booed at home by playing better, but also offered his perspective on Watson’s response.
“I see the competitor in him. I see the every-day work he puts in, and he wants to be back,” Monken said. “He wants to get back to where he was as best he can, and that’s hard. And again, I think the moment just got him after the game, and it can get all of us.”
–Field Level Media
