Two days after he was lustily booed by hometown fans, Deshaun Watson has been handed the reins to the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback job for Week 1 of the 2026 season.
Cleveland is naming Watson the starter over Shedeur Sanders for its game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 13, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Monday, per sources.
For a variety of reasons, it is likely to be an unpopular decision, easily the most important so far for Todd Monken in his first year as head coach.
Over two preseason games, Watson completed 16 of 27 passes (59.3%) for 162 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. Sanders connected on 15 of 22 attempts (68.2%) for 153 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
On Saturday, Watson played the second half of the Browns’ 31-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Though the Huntington Bank Field stands were hardly filled, the boos were loud enough to become a story.
Watson was in action on the home field for the first time since tearing his Achilles tendon on it during an Oct. 20, 2024 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The crowd cheered Watson’s exit that day.
Speaking about the crowd’s reaction Saturday and when he was injured, Watson tabbed it “personal” and “disrespectful.”
Monken said neither Watson’s comments nor fan fallout would impact his decision, which culminates an offseason-long QB battle that saw Sanders and Watson splitting reps throughout practices.
Sanders was a fifth-round draft choice of the Browns in 2025 and ended last season as the team’s starter. Dillon Gabriel, a 2025 third-round pick who was ahead of Sanders in the pecking order last year before suffering an injury, has been lost in the shuffle.