Cleveland Browns coach Todd Monken
Getty
Cleveland Browns coach Todd Monken
There is a sense around the Cleveland Browns at this stage that the worst thing the franchise could do after winning eight games in the past two years, and putting historically bad offenses on the field in those two years, would be to run it back without a major overhaul. And nothing smells more like a run-it-back approach than giving the starting quarterback’s job to Deshaun Watson.
Sure, it can be said that Watson was not really a part of the Browns’ glaring woes in 2024 and 2025. He had two Achilles tendon injuries, after all, and did not play at all in 2025. In 2024, though, he did start seven games and posted one win, with a career-low 79.0 quarterback rating. That was with a star wide receiver, Jerry Jeudy, who actually played like a star that year, unlike the disengaged Jeudy we saw in 2025.
If Watson is under center in Week 1 in 2026, as quite a few Browns observers predict, there will be a sense that it is a move made in desperation, the Browns figuring that because they owe Watson a lot of money, they ought to see if Watson can play up to his salary.
‘Simple Economics’ Driving Deshaun Watson Decision
In looking at the Browns’ quarterback situation heading into this week’s NFL combine and the free-agent frenzy that will kick off in just days, longtime NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated seems to take that stance–because the Browns are paying Watson, they have no choice but to give him a crack at the job.
Breer writes: “The Browns’ willingness to give Deshaun Watson a go is logical, even with how poorly the 2022 trade to get him has gone. And the reasons are largely a matter of simple economics. Cleveland owes Watson $46 million this year. The quarterback’s getting that $46 million one way or the other—and if the Browns were to cut him neither he nor his new team would be compelled to do a deal with him at more than the league minimum, and stick Cleveland with the remainder.”
Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns looks on during an NFL game
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson
Browns Feeling Pain of Deshaun Watson Deal
There is logic, then, behind the Browns’ approach with Watson. The team had the option to soak up as much of his salary as possible into last year’s payroll and soften the blow of cutting Watson this season, but Cleveland opted to keep trying to win in the short term and accept the long-term pain of keeping Watson on the books.
The pain is here, and the Browns are dealing with it. But putting Watson back on the field after his two Achilles surgeries, and considering how awful he looked as the starter in 2024 feels like just inviting more pain.
This team has a Super Bowl caliber defense. It just needs a league-average offense to win.
Browns Coaches Will Have ‘Fresh Eyes’ on QB
Breer lays out one of the fundamental truths about coaches in pro sports, one that applies to new Browns hire Todd Monken, too. Every coach thinks they are the person who can unlock some hidden talent and ability in a player that the last guy missed.
The Browns apparently think Monken can do something with Watson that Kevin Stefanski couldn’t.
Breer added: “With a new staff getting a fresh set of eyes on Watson, and Watson potentially fighting for his career, it makes sense to give a healthy 30-year-old three-time Pro Bowl quarterback a good long look this offseason.”
He mentioned that it would be different if the Browns ID’d a quarterback in this draft who was expected to be a starter. With that not being the case, “Instead, Todd Monken will try to do with Watson what Kevin Stefanski couldn’t.”
Which sounds all too familiar.