This story has been updated with new information.
Todd Monken isn’t quite ready to name his starting quarterback. The Browns coach is almost there, though.
A day after the Browns’ second preseason game, a 31-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Aug. 22, Monken on a Zoom call declined to name a starter for the season opener in Jacksonville, but said it’s coming Aug. 24. It’s been a months-long battle between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson for the job.
“I still have a few things to weigh out,” Monken said on an Aug. 23 Zoom, “but I’m not going to get into that. But we anticipate naming the starter tomorrow.”
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What that won’t include is what took place after the game. That’s even if what took place after the game is the only thing that’s been talked about since then game
Watson played the third quarter of that game, completing just five of 12 passes for 36 yards, with an interception and a 14.6 rating. He was greeted by audible boos from some in the crowd, which Watson called “personal” and not about “performance” after the game.
“Well, I talked to all of our players, beyond even yesterday postgame or things we did in the game or each week,” Monken said. “So I’ll keep those conversations private. But again, I think Deshaun spoke from the heart. None of us ever, we all want to play well, as a team and individually. I think he was, there’s no question we were all frustrated. Certainly could have coached better, could have played better.”
Watson mentioned Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam, as well as general manager Andrew Berry, alongside Monken when he talked about the quarterback decision after the game. Jimmy Haslam famously called the trade for the quarterback a “swing and a miss” in 2025, but walked that back a year later at the NFL Meeting’s this past March in Phoenix.
Jimmy Haslam said on July 31 that “Todd will figure out who’s going to start.” Monken reiterated that’s where the final call rests.
“Well, I’ll just make reference to any decision that’s made in terms of football, we’re all involved in that,” Monken said. “I mean, whether it’s the draft or whether it’s the roster, whether it’s game day who’s up and who plays. But ultimately, the quarterback decision will be mine.”
Sanders started against the Bills after Watson had started the preseason opener at the Chicago Bears. The QB who didn’t start the game played the third quarter, with each of his final drives spilling into the fourth.
Monken indicated none of the starters would likely play in the preseason finale at home Aug. 27 against the New England Patriots. The next home game is a full month later, Sept. 27, when they play the Carolina Panthers.
“I’m not concerned about that,” Monken said. “What I’m concerned about is us playing well as a team and on offense. Because when you play well, none of the other stuff matters. Just play well. Play well, coach well, score points, win games, and none of that will even matter.”
Watson is 16-of-27 for 162 yards with an interception, a fumble lost on a sack and a 61.0 passer rating so far this preseason. Sanders is 15-of-22 for 153 yards with a touchdown, two interceptions and a 65.2 passer rating.
The Buffalo game was the first time Watson had played in Cleveland since Oct. 20, 2024, when he tore his Achilles in the second quarter of a Week 7 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. There were fans who cheered as he was on the ground after the injury, which Watson brought up after the Bills game as supporting evidence as to why the fans’ reaction is personal.
“Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles.” Watson said after the game. “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.”
This is the final season of the fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract paid out to Watson when the Browns acquired him from the Houston Texans in 2022. He arrived with the off-the-field baggage of more than two dozen lawsuits ― all since settled ― by women in the Houston area alleging sexual assault and/or sexual misconduct during massage appointments, all of which led to an 11-game suspension from the league to open his Cleveland career.
Since then, he’s only played in 19 of a possible 68 games, suffering season-ending shoulder and Achilles injuries in 2023 and 2024. He’s won nine of 29 starts, completing 61.2% of his passes for 3,365 yards with 19 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 70 sacks and an 80.7 passer rating.
Watson said after the game that he didn’t regret the decision to agree to the deal with the Browns. Monken said he believes his quarterback wants to be in Cleveland.
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I haven’t gotten any of that from him since I’ve been here,” Monken said. “All I’ve seen from him is a player that’s worked awfully hard to get back to where he is now and given himself a chance to compete at the highest level. I’ve been really pleased with how he’s worked, how he’s approached every day. And listen, we didn’t play well enough collectively. And I’m sure that was frustrating for him, and it was for us as well. But like I said, we control that. We control that with how we coach, how we play.
“I mean, none of us like to be booed. We all like to be appreciated. I think that’s just human. OK? I think he emptied his heart a little bit, and I don’t think that says who he is. I see the competitor in. I see the everyday work he puts in, and he wants to get back to where he was as best he can, and that’s hard. And again, I think the moment just got him after the game and it can get all of us.”
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: Deshaun Watson’s words won’t impact Todd Monken’s decision on Browns QB
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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
