The Browns quarterback battle lasted through two preseason games before they made up their minds. After weeks of build-up, OTAs, and training camp practices, head coach Todd Monken has now made a decision on the starter.
The Cleveland Browns are going to roll with Deshaun Watson as their starting quarterback for Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. NFL insider Ian Rapoport was the first to report the news of the decision.
Shedeur Sanders will serve as the team’s backup.
This decision comes on the heels of Watson lashing out at the fanbase when he said their booing of him was “personal.” He stated on Saturday after the team’s preseason loss to the Bills the following:
“The whole world knows it has nothing to do about the performance, it’s a little bit [more] personal than that. So I think it’s a disrespectful thing. So yeah, I mean, I’m going to keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally. . .Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles. And that same fanbase, they cheered when I got hurt, so what does that have to do with anything about performance? When a person gets hurt, especially for your own city, and they cheer?”
Watson is 16 for 27 passing this preseason for 162 yards and two turnovers with no touchdowns. Since 2022, among 50 quarterbacks with 550+ pass attempts, Watson ranks 49th in total QB (33.1), 48th in pass yards per attempt (6), last in first downs per attempts (27.6), last in completions of 20+ yards (35), and 49th in sack percentage (11.2).
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns name their Week 1 starting quarterback for Jaguars matchup
Reporting by Andrew Harbaugh, Browns Wire / Browns Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Andrew Harbaugh, Browns Wire | USA TODAY Network
