Cleveland Browns’ Quarterback Decisions Amid Fan Backlash

The Cleveland Browns are affirming their commitment to quarterback Deshaun Watson despite discussions among fans and media suggesting he should be benched after a disappointing opening game of the season. Coach Todd Monken stated on Monday, ‘I anticipate that Deshaun will be our starter.’

Monken explained his rationale for keeping Watson in the starting position for the upcoming game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, patience with this strategy has limits, with a critical evaluation set for the Week 3 game against the Carolina Panthers.

Cleveland plans to stick with Watson for now, focusing on an improvement against Tampa Bay.

After reviewing footage of a 34-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Monken believed there was enough potential in Watson’s performance, given his absence from play for 693 days, to warrant his continued role as starter. Monken explained, ‘It’s only been two weeks he’s gotten all the reps,’ noting the previous quarterback competition split practice time between Watson and Shedeur Sanders.

The coach emphasized, ‘There were some really good things on film, some things that you can build on. And there were others operationally we got to get better at.’ When Watson had time and understood the game concepts, Monken noted his decisiveness.

Despite these positive aspects, Watson’s future as starter is not guaranteed. His performance in the game against the Buccaneers will be critical. Various circumstances are pressuring this decision. If Baker Mayfield, now with the Buccaneers, outperforms Watson, it will reflect poorly on the Browns. They had chosen Watson over Mayfield in 2022, resulting in a contentious breakup with Mayfield.

Mayfield has since found success with the Buccaneers, while Watson’s performance with the Browns has been disappointing. A loss to Mayfield could prompt the Browns to reassess their decision.

Adding to the pressure, the Browns will play their home opener against the Panthers in Week 3. Watson’s relationship with Browns fans is already strained, as evidenced by boos during preseason games. Watson criticized this reaction, stating he felt as though he was playing all games away.

Watson’s return to a home crowd after such criticisms, coupled with potential poor performances, could aggravate fans further. Therefore, Watson possibly has one week to demonstrate improvement and restore confidence among fans and the team.

Monken acknowledged the need for collective improvement, saying, ‘We got to play better around him. We got to call it better. And he’s going to play better.’

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Armando Salguero serves as OutKick’s Senior NFL Writer.