Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken has named Deshaun Watson his starting quarterback for the upcoming NFL season, ending a preseason competition with rookie Shedeur Sanders. Watson will start the Browns' season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 13.
The decision comes just days after Watson criticized his own fans, calling boos he received during Saturday's preseason game against the Buffalo Bills 'disrespectful' and 'personal.' Watson has not played in a regular-season game since Week 7 of the 2024 season.
Booed at Huntington Bank Field
Watson came off the bench in the second half of the Browns' 31-7 preseason loss to the Bills, since Sanders had started the game. He was booed repeatedly by the crowd at Huntington Bank Field and finished five of 12 passing for 36 yards with an interception.
It marked Watson's first appearance in front of Browns fans since he ruptured his Achilles tendon on October 20, 2024, an injury some fans cheered at the time.
'It has nothing to do about the performance,' Watson said in his postgame press conference. 'It's a little bit personal. I think that's a disrespectful thing. I'm going to keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally on how I feel about that. Just move on.'
'Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles and that same fan base, they cheered when I got hurt,' Watson said. 'So what does that have to do with anything about performance? When a person gets hurt, especially for your own city and they cheer.'
A turbulent Browns tenure
Watson has started just 19 games since Cleveland acquired him in a blockbuster trade from the Houston Texans four years ago, sending three first-round draft picks to Houston and signing him to a fully guaranteed contract worth $230 million. He arrived in Cleveland already at the center of controversy, having been accused by two dozen women of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage therapy sessions.
He served an 11-game league suspension in his first season with the Browns, paid a $5 million fine and completed a treatment program. Watson struggled with rustiness after returning and was only beginning to resemble the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback he had been in Houston when he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in 2023 that required surgery. This season he is returning after rupturing his Achilles tendon twice.
Watson said he isn't sure whether he can win back any fans, and that the animosity he feels from Cleveland supporters seems tied specifically to when he's on the field.
'When I'm in public, no one's mentioned anything,' he said. 'Because this is social media, players can't respond back. And then in the stadium, players can't respond back. So I get it. I understand it. So it is what it is.'
'It's a mental battle every day,' Watson added. 'I feel like I get more love in road games than I do home games. So if it is my spot and he (Monken) does make me the (starter), maybe it's 17 away games then.'
Sanders defends his rival
Sanders, the former Colorado star who lost out to Watson in the quarterback competition, said the booing directed at his teammate bothered him.
'I don't appreciate that at all,' Sanders said. 'Regardless of competition, we're all human beings. I think we all need to understand that. In this room, too, we're all humans. I don't do things to humans that I wouldn't want done to me.'
'For all the fans, we appreciate you showing up, and however you feel about the situation with Deshaun and everything, I think it's more about a bigger purpose and it's respect,' Sanders said. 'It's a respect thing that I feel should be there, because we're all out there trying to do our best and serve the franchise the best way possible.'
Monken's response
Before Watson addressed reporters, Monken said he believed Watson could win fans back through his play on the field.
'I know you asked (Watson) "Hey, how does it feel to get booed?" It's a pretty easy question - it sucks,' Monken said. 'I don't want to get booed. It comes with the territory. You don't want to get booed? Let's play good football.'
'Let's play good at quarterback. Let's play good on offense. Let's play good as a team. And then you don't have to worry about all that because it can turn just like that,' Monken said. 'Win, play good football, and everybody will be fine. That's just part of it.'
