Cleveland Browns’ QB drama reached a boiling point as soon as Todd Monken announced Deshaun Watson as the Week 1 starter against the Jacksonville Jaguars over Shedeur Sanders. However, the twist came when Monken previously admitted to reporters that he hasn’t watched a single tape of the 19 games Deshaun Watson started for the Browns since joining them in 2022, and instead chose to evaluate him with a fresh perspective.

Fans endured Deshaun’s 9-10 record in those games, including a poor 19-to-12 TDs-to-INTs ratio, along with injuries that sidelined him for 49 games across 4 seasons. Monken essentially ignored that history, leading to a disconnect between the new HC’s decision and what the fans want. 

Breaking down Monken’s decision on 93.2 The Fan, host Ken Carman detailed what fans saw throughout August during preseason. Meanwhile, co-host Anthony Lima had differing opinions on Watson and pointed out that it doesn’t sound like a QB capable of being named the starter, factoring in what CBS Sports Analyst Emory Hunt had previously said.

“You just described a guy then that has no business winning a quarterback competition… In Deshaun Watson. Emory [Hunt] just came on, and Emory made it sound like the only reason Deshaun Watson is starting is the money. He didn’t want to hear about the operations stuff. And Emory was right. Deshaun Watson has made mistakes in the operations, too. So I get why Shedeur fans are like, ‘Why are you saying this is an issue with Shedeur when we’ve seen it with Watson?’ But in the same token, like, why do we think Monken is starting Deshaun Watson? Do we think he’s deliberately starting the wrong guy? Is that what people really think?”

Carman was quick to reject the idea that Todd Monken had deliberately chosen the wrong guy in Deshaun Watson. Instead claiming that from Monken’s perspective, he didn’t decide try to “make everybody mad,” but rather “he’s trying to do what’s best for his football team.” And Deshaun’s ability to get the Browns in and out of the huddle is slightly better than Shedeur’s.

Perhaps the biggest indicator of the growing friction between fans and Watson was in their 2nd preseason game against the Buffalo Bills on August 22. 

Deshaun Watson was booed on his return to Huntington Bank Field after his last appearance at the Browns’ home field saw him suffer an Achilles tear in 2024. Now, he’ll have until the end of the first two weeks of the regular season to prove a point before Week 3, when he will face a hostile home crowd.

Carman also pushed back against the theory that money is the biggest motivator behind playing Watson ahead of Sanders by focusing strictly on football operations. He observed that raw arm strength is merely a “parlor trick” if a QB cannot direct 10 teammates before a snap is taken.

Watson’s fully guaranteed $230 million contract feeds skepticism on whether money is the driving force behind his selection. Having appeared in just 19 regular-season games across 4 seasons, Deshaun Watson will enter the Jacksonville game under intense scrutiny, with fans eager to see Sanders step in.