Overview
- Todd Monken announced that Deshaun Watson will start Week 1 for the Cleveland Browns and defended the decision as his call for what gives the team the best chance to win.
- This week Monken told reporters he has not watched Watson’s previous 19 Browns starts and said he evaluates players on current view rather than past tape.
- NFL insider reporting says Watson is on a short leash and may have only four to six games to earn continued starts before the Browns consider turning to Shedeur Sanders.
- The choice has provoked heavy fan backlash, including preseason boos, even as assistant GM Catherine Hickman and other front-office voices publicly defended the move as a win-first decision.
- The roster and financial context complicates the choice: Watson carries a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million deal and a recent history of Achilles injuries, while Sanders remains popular after starting late last season and Dillon Gabriel is on injured reserve.