CLEVELAND ― The Browns’ first preseason home game was one to forget. Despite both teams basically playing their backups, the Buffalo Bills rolled to a 31-7 win.
Of course, it being the Browns, the quarterbacks were the story. Of course, it being the Browns, it went beyond just on the field.
That’s basically where we’re going to start our overreactions to the day. Not necessarily on what Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson did on the field, but what the reaction was to the reaction to one of them specifically.
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So let’s dive into those overreactions. We have, as usual, three to look at, but they’re all really about one giant topic.
Deshaun Watson’s comments open door to questions about being starter
Watson took the field in the third quarter to audible boos from the fans, and not just from the ones wearing Bills jerseys. He had been asked three days earlier about hearing them, and said, “I don’t care.”
Well, as it turns out, Watson does care. He cares that a segment of the fans cheered while he was on the turf after tearing his Achilles tendon in 2024, and he cared that a segment of the fans booed him despite all of the work he put into returning to the field.
“Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles,” Watson said after Saturday’s loss. “And that same fan base, they cheered when I got hurt. So what does that have to do with anything about performance? When a person get hurt, especially for your own city, and they cheer.”
Later, Watson was asked about his mental state and handling the boos over eight home games. His first response was “I don’t know,” followed by, “maybe it’s 17 away games then.”
So, if that’s the case and it’s clearly personal for Watson and in his head, can coach Todd Monken really make him his starting quarterback? Forget the durability concerns for a guy who’s only played 13 games in the last three seasons because of two season-ending injuries. What about the mental concerns for a guy who’s acknowledging the home fans are getting to him?
It’s hard to call those questions overreactions.
Shedeur Sanders’ solid start is second one by Browns QB in as many games
Sanders was given the start against the Bills, much as Watson was in the opener against the Chicago Bears. He did with it many of the same things Watson had done with the start he had a week earlier.
The second-year pro completed his first eight pass, including a touchdown, before throwing an interception that seemed to glance off the hands of tight end Jeremaine Terry and into those of safety Damar Hamlin. He finished 9-of-11 passing for 74 yards with a touchdown, a pick and a 87.1 passer rating.
A week earlier, Watson enjoyed a similar amount of success in Chicago, albeit with a significantly higher number of true starters around him. He completed 10 of his first 11 passes on his way to an 11-of-15 passing, 126-yard, 98.2-rating day against the Bears.
You would hope the quarterback with the perceived advantage in caliber of players around him to have slightly more success, even if by degrees. You’d also hope the opening script would allow a quarterback to get into a nice early rhythm.
It’s all part of a bigger question, though, that Monken and the offensive staff have to figure out. It’s about what’s real and what’s not with both of these quarterbacks, which is why what Watson said after the game has to factor somewhere in the decision.
Todd Monken’s decision isn’t simple, although it might be
Monken has made it clear he’s going to have to choose a quarterback soon. As he said after the game, “At some point I’m going to have to decide, right?”
The Aug. 27 preseason finale against the New England Patriots is typically a dress rehearsal for the regular season. That means the Browns should want to know who their starting quarterback is by then.
“I’m saying it kind of jokingly, [but] at some point we’ve got to get that guy the reps, so I’m not going to paint myself into a corner,” Monken said. “Optimally, you’d like to give one player all of the reps and you know who the one is, and we’ve done the best we could as a staff trying to work through this, like at any position. This is just one part of it. It’s just like Thursday was. We’ll watch the tape tomorrow, because all I’ve had a chance to do is watch it like you guys did.”
For all the talk of pre-snap process and everything, Sanders has made big strides in that area. And that was where Watson was thought to hold a lead of some size.
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If Sanders has trimmed the margin there, then it brings everything else into play. On balance, that’s been somewhat even, save for a day or two when Watson’s been better.
However, it can be the smallest things that ultimately settle big decisions — which is why Watson’s comments about the fans and the mental impact it had on him can’t be discounted in a decision like this one.
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ. Sign up for Browns Insider newsletter at https://profile.beaconjournal.com/newsletters/browns-insider/
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns preseason vs. Bills overreactions: Impact of Deshaun Watson’s comments
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Reporting by Chris Easterling, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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By Chris Easterling, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
