The debate over who should be the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns dominated the entire offseason. Unfortunately, even though Deshaun Watson got the nod, we’re back to square one after the veteran quarterback failed to perform in the Week 1 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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That certainly raised the question of whether head coach Todd Monken, who handed Watson the job in the first place, will start Sanders against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week. Monken, however, left the door open for a potential change.
“I’d rather just talk about today, because I haven’t had time to even look at the tape,” said Monken after the game. “I’m sure as hell not firing me. I’m not firing our staff. I’m not getting rid of all of our players. So he (Watson) happens to be one of 53. And however many practice squad guys we got, and our staff, he’s one of that. So, we’ll evaluate everything. But to just say that emotionally here at the end, we didn’t just play good enough. We didn’t coach well enough.”
Watson completed 16-of-22 passes for 205 passing yards and one touchdown. On paper, he completed 72.7% of his passes and averaged 9.3 yards per attempt. But in reality, the struggles were hard to miss.
He struggled inside the pocket, as the Jaguars sacked Watson five times. Meanwhile, on the very first offensive drive, Watson threw an interception. On second-and-5 from Jacksonville’s 28-yard line, Watson threw a pass intended for Jerry Jeudy. However, Jaguars linebacker Foyesade Oluokun intercepted it at Jacksonville’s 19-yard line.
Since then, Cleveland failed to find any rhythm, as the team remained scoreless until the third quarter, when the Jaguars led 31-0 before the Browns finally scored a field goal.
At the same time, it’s worth noting that Deshaun Watson didn’t get much help from his offensive playmakers as well, especially on the running game. Quinshon Judkins rushed for just 33 yards on 12 carries without a touchdown, while Watson complemented the running game with 38 rushing yards on 6 carries. The Browns, meanwhile, finished with 87 rushing yards.
This is exactly why it’s safe to wonder whether Coach Monken would make a change under center against the Buccaneers. Shedeur Sanders watched the entire matchup from the sideline. The quarterback previously started for the Browns in his rookie season, where he completed 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
While Taylen Green is also on the roster and Dillon Gabriel is on injured reserve, it’s safe to say that Monken has the option to turn to his backup in the coming weeks. The question is whether the head coach will make that decision before the Week 2 matchup or give Deshaun Watson another opportunity.