JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Cleveland Browns will open their season against the Jacksonville Jaguars, marking Deshaun Watson’s first start since 2024.
The Jacksonville Jaguars return many of the same players, all the same coaches and pretty much the same approach on both sides of the ball.
They believe they have everything it takes to win the AFC South for the second consecutive year and advance beyond the opening round of the playoffs. How quickly will all that continuity show up and pay off?
“We’ll find out Week 1,” defensive end Josh Hines-Allen said. “We can’t live in the past. We only can be where our feet are. ... The model’s the same; everything’s the same. But how is our attention going to be when we step out onto the field?”
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The Jaguars open one of their most anticipated seasons in franchise history against rebuilding Cleveland on Sunday.
“Our identity is how we play,” new Browns coach Todd Monken said. “When someone watches us play, whether it’s our operation, whether it’s how physical we play, whether it’s how connected we are, whether it’s how we chase the football and convoy downfield, or how our defense runs to that smoke ... that’s what you want your identity to be.
“And then you figure out the other part of it: system-wise, offense, defense, special teams.”
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Monken’s debut and the return of Watson will come in front of a reduced-capacity crowd (45,000) at Everbank Stadium, which is undergoing a $1.4 billion renovation.
The Jaguars, though, don’t anticipate being a work in progress. It’s a rare situation for a team that has spent most of the last 25 years in some phase of rebuilding. Jacksonville is looking for consecutive postseason appearances for the first time since 1998-99.
“We really just want to show people how good we are at the end of the day,” wide receiver Jakobi Meyers said. “Football is fun because it’s a roller coaster. We have good days, we have bad days. It’s ultimately who’s going to see it through regardless.
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“We’ve got guys willing to see it through at the end of the day. Whatever shows out there, we’re going to be tough, we’re going to stick together and we’re going to get better the next day.”
This summer, the Browns have been evaluating both Shedeur Sanders, who finished his rookie season as the starting quarterback in the last seven games, and Watson, who returned to the mix after spending 2025 rehabbing from two Achilles injuries.
