Overview
- Monken announced on Monday that Deshaun Watson will start Week 1 at Jacksonville and Shedeur Sanders will open the season as the primary backup.
- Watson’s designation closes a competition that featured split reps in practice and two preseason starts but saw Sanders outplay Watson in Cleveland’s Aug. 22 game.
- In the Buffalo preseason outing Watson completed 5 of 12 passes for 36 yards with one interception while Sanders went 9 of 11 for 74 yards and a touchdown.
- Monken said Watson’s postgame criticism of the home crowd would not factor into the decision and that he evaluated the candidates by their full body of work.
- The choice preserves a large guaranteed contract for Watson—he is on a five‑year, $230 million deal that creates a heavy 2026 cap charge—and leaves the Browns with short‑term optics risks, a likely short leash on performance and limited roster flexibility.