Browns Name $230 Million Deshaun Watson Week 1 Starter Over Shedeur Sanders
Updated
Updated · ESPN · Aug 24
Browns Name $230 Million Deshaun Watson Week 1 Starter Over Shedeur Sanders
3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Aug 24
Summary
Deshaun Watson will open the season as Cleveland's starting quarterback after beating out second-year Shedeur Sanders in a competition that ran through offseason work and two preseason games.
Saturday's 5-of-12, 35-yard, 1-interception outing did not change the call, and coach Todd Monken said Watson's remarks about fans booing him as "disrespectful" were not a factor.
Watson, 30, is returning from a torn right Achilles that wiped out his 2025 season; Cleveland opens with road games at Jacksonville and Tampa Bay before its Week 3 home opener.
The decision extends the Browns' bet on Watson, who has played only 19 games since the 2022 trade and $230 million contract and has posted a 9-10 record with a 33.1 Total QBR in Cleveland.