BEREA, Ohio — The Browns will name their starting quarterback for Week 1 of the regular season on Monday. Whether it's Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders remains to be seen, but head coach Todd Monken said that Watson's reception from the crowd and postgame comments voicing displeasure with Browns fans won't impact his decision either way.
Monken held a virtual press conference Sunday afternoon, a day after his team's 31-7 preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills. It was a game that saw Sanders start the first half and Watson play the third quarter and into the start of the fourth, flipping the roles from the first preseason game a week before.
Watson went 5-for-12 passing with 36 yards and an interception.
Saturday's preseason game against the Bills marked Watson's first game action inside Huntington Bank Field since he ruptured his Achilles in the Week 7 game against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2024. Unfortunately for Watson, his experience on Saturday was not a warm welcome back, but instead came with shades of his 2024 departure.
Watson walked out onto the field to a booing crowd. As his drives stalled and his offense failed to generate much of anything, the boos grew louder.
After handing off the reins to Dillon Gabriel to close out the Browns' 31-7 preseason loss to the Bills, Watson sat on the bench, towel over his head, looking dejected. That energy carried into his postgame press conference, where he expressed his displeasure at the fans' displeasure with him — claiming they were personal attacks not based on his performance.
“Man, I didn’t have any reaction [to the booing]. I think the biggest thing is, I think you guys know, and I think the whole world knows, it has nothing to do with the performance. It’s a little more personal than that. So, I think that’s a disrespectful thing," Watson said, before expanding on his feelings on the matter in follow-up questions. “Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles, and that same fan base cheered when I got hurt. So, what does that have to do with anything about performance? When a person gets hurt, especially in their own city, and they cheer?" Watson said.
Watson continued later in his press conference, saying that he feels like he gets more love on road games than in Cleveland.
“The only time I feel that energy is when I’m in the stadium or it’s on social media. Like I mentioned before, when I’m in public, no one’s mentioning anything. So, I think that’s the only time those people who are holding it in is trying to disrupt the energy. Because on social media, players can’t respond back and in the stadium, players can’t respond back. So, I get it, I understand it. It is what it is," Watson said. "It’s a mental battle every day. I feel like I get more love on road games than I do at home games. So, if it is my spot and he does make me the starter, maybe it’s 17 away games, then. I don’t know.”
Monken fielded questions about Watson's comments the next day.
The Browns' head coach said that the booing of a smaller preseason crowd, made smaller by severe weather impacting attendance, getting to Watson, and the idea it could be much worse in the regular season, isn't a worry of his.
“I’m not concerned about that. What I’m concerned about is us playing well as a team and on offense, because when you play well, none of the other stuff matters. Just play well, coach well, score points, win games, and none of that will even matter," Monken said.
Monken also said it's not hard for him to understand why frustrated fans chose to boo Watson on Saturday.
"No, it’s not. The business we’re in is a performance-based business. It is what it is. When we expect a service, we’re going to be disappointed when we don’t get that service. If you go to a restaurant and your soup comes out cold, you’re going to be upset. If you order from the grocery store and six of your eggs are broken, you’re going to be pissed. So, I get it, that’s what we’re in. That’s why we’re paid what we are, to perform at a high level, and when we don’t, there are repercussions. We’ve run to this smoke. This is the job we’ve chosen, so this is part of it," Watson said.
But Watson's comments, paired with his dejected body language while speaking, lead to questions about whether he has the mental fortitude to handle what may come his way if he were to be named the starter.
Monken believes that is not an issue and said he believes Watson still can — and wants to — play for the Browns.
“I do. I haven’t gotten any of that from him since I’ve been here. All I’ve seen from him is a player who has worked awfully hard to get back to where he is now and given himself a chance to compete at the highest level. I’ve been really pleased with how he’s worked and how he’s approached every day, and listen, we didn’t play well enough collectively, and I’m sure that was frustrating for him, and it was for us as well. But like I said, we control that with how we coach, how we play. None of us like to be booed. We all like to be appreciated. I think that’s just human," Monken said. "I think he emptied his heart a little bit, and I don’t think that says who he is. I see the competitor, and I see the everyday work he puts in, and he wants to be back. He wants to get back to where he was as best he can, and that’s hard. I think the moment just got him after the game, and it can get all of us."
Monken has been evaluating the quarterback room for the last three months of offseason workouts and training camp. Now it's time for him to make the call.
Even though he said Watson's comments won't weigh into his decision on Monday, Monken certainly has an idea of how a bad product on the field may be received by fans, especially if he starts Watson, who has always been a polarizing figure in his time with the Browns due to his contract, assets given up to get him and the dozens of sexual misconduct lawsuits that he settled from his time in Houston—on top of a lackluster on-field body of work in orange and brown.
But Monken doesn't want outside noise to impact his decision, or individual moments from the preseason, but rather a big-picture look that he feels he's compiled over the last few months.
"I think even with yesterday, we have to take in the full body of work. That’s just one opportunity that they had on the field, both of them, just like the week before was an opportunity, just like the practices against the Bills were an opportunity to showcase their ability and others’ ability and where they’re at at this point and where we’re at as an offense. So, I don’t look at it that way. I look at what has been the full body of work, and then ultimately who gives us the best chance to win week one.
"I’m frustrated because yesterday, and for two weeks, we haven’t played well in the second half, and the first halves we’ve been fine. We’ve given ourselves a chance to compete, and Thursday against the Bills, in the one-on-ones, which I put a lot more stock into, we were fine. We’ll see as we keep going down the road and get ready for the first game. But I’m not going to let one half of football, one frustrating moment, dictate what our decision is going to be is in the best interest of the Browns moving forward, especially Week 1," Monken said.
