- May 21, 2026
- 0
- 0
Deshaun Watson played one of his best games since his trade to the Browns on Sunday, helping power the club to a 23-19 victory over Tampa Bay.
In his Monday video conference, head coach Todd Monken told reporters that Watson was the club’s offensive player of the game.
“I was happy for Deshaun,” Monken said. “He made a number of plays with his legs. Played with confidence. He let it rip. You could see the difference from Week 1 to Week 2, and I think we’re just going to grow together.”
It’s clear at this point that Watson will be the starting quarterback for Cleveland’s home opener against Carolina on Sunday. He finished Sunday’s game 24-of-30 for 238 yards with a pair of touchdowns. He also rushed for 22 yards.
That came after there were reports leading up to the game that the Browns would evaluate the QB play following Sunday’s matchup with Tampa Bay — the implication being that Cleveland could turn to Shedeur Sanders.
But even as Watson played well, it’s going to take more good performances for the questions about who will start at quarterback to stop.
“Do I love dealing with it every week? Of course not. You guys keep asking, which is a lot of fun,” Monken said, tongue-in-cheek. “But the reality is, of course — of course. And I’m happy for Deshaun, the way he’s played, and I expected improvement, and I expect continued improvement.
“There’s a lot of football left in him — he just hasn’t played in a while. And learning our system and trying to get him consistent with his drops and his reads is part of the process. He’s like every player. I see him as a young player. I know people don’t want to see it that way, and I haven’t been here. But I see him as still a very young player that is going to continue to grow.”
The reality is, Watson is far from a very young player — he’s 31 and has been in the league since 2017. But if Watson continues to play as he did on Sunday, then Monken will be more and more vindicated for defying the fanbase by playing him.
In his Monday video conference, head coach Todd Monken told reporters that Watson was the club’s offensive player of the game.
“I was happy for Deshaun,” Monken said. “He made a number of plays with his legs. Played with confidence. He let it rip. You could see the difference from Week 1 to Week 2, and I think we’re just going to grow together.”
It’s clear at this point that Watson will be the starting quarterback for Cleveland’s home opener against Carolina on Sunday. He finished Sunday’s game 24-of-30 for 238 yards with a pair of touchdowns. He also rushed for 22 yards.
That came after there were reports leading up to the game that the Browns would evaluate the QB play following Sunday’s matchup with Tampa Bay — the implication being that Cleveland could turn to Shedeur Sanders.
But even as Watson played well, it’s going to take more good performances for the questions about who will start at quarterback to stop.
“Do I love dealing with it every week? Of course not. You guys keep asking, which is a lot of fun,” Monken said, tongue-in-cheek. “But the reality is, of course — of course. And I’m happy for Deshaun, the way he’s played, and I expected improvement, and I expect continued improvement.
“There’s a lot of football left in him — he just hasn’t played in a while. And learning our system and trying to get him consistent with his drops and his reads is part of the process. He’s like every player. I see him as a young player. I know people don’t want to see it that way, and I haven’t been here. But I see him as still a very young player that is going to continue to grow.”
The reality is, Watson is far from a very young player — he’s 31 and has been in the league since 2017. But if Watson continues to play as he did on Sunday, then Monken will be more and more vindicated for defying the fanbase by playing him.