Browns Stick With Watson at Quarterback as Monken Signals Patience Into October

Cleveland’s season opener did little to quiet the debate over its quarterback situation. The Browns fell 34-10 at Jacksonville in Week 1, and Deshaun Watson — making his first regular-season appearance in 693 days — endured a rocky return that has intensified calls from fans for a change under center.

Watson was intercepted on Cleveland’s opening drive, and the offense failed to score in the first half as Jacksonville built a 31-0 lead by the third quarter. He closed out the day 16-of-22 for 205 yards, with one touchdown and one pick, plus 38 rushing yards. His 46-yard scoring strike came with the game already out of reach at 34-3, and he was sacked five times.

Monken preaches patience ahead of Tampa Bay trip

First-year coach Todd Monken declined to place the blame solely on his quarterback, telling reporters the team needed to “play better around him” and that the coaching staff needed to call a better game. He said film review showed encouraging moments and indicated Watson would keep the starting job for the upcoming game at Tampa Bay.

That stance aligns with reporting from Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano, who wrote during training camp that Monken intended to give Watson an extended runway — potentially through October. Asked Wednesday whether Watson needs to perform well against the Buccaneers to secure the start for Cleveland’s Sept. 27 home opener, Monken said he always expects his players to play well and noted Watson showed both good and bad moments last Sunday.

Fox Corporation, which operates Fox Sports where the camp reporting originated, saw its shares trade at $64.45 on Wednesday, down 0.82% from the prior close of $64.98, valuing the media company at roughly $26.8 billion.

Sanders waits in the wings

Shedeur Sanders, who lost the offseason competition and enters Week 2 as the backup, has remained publicly quiet as fan pressure mounts. The second-year quarterback went 3-4 in seven rookie starts, throwing seven touchdowns against 10 interceptions. Fans chanted his name after the Jacksonville loss, and former NFL receiver Chad Johnson predicted before the season that an 0-2 start would force Cleveland’s hand at the position.

What to watch

• Watson’s performance in Week 2 at Tampa Bay and whether Monken names him the starter for the Sept. 27 home opener.
• Any change in the quarterback depth chart if Cleveland opens the season 0-2.
• Snap counts or game-plan shifts involving Sanders as the backup.

Source: original release