Browns naming Deshaun Watson starting QB for Week 1 of 2026 season

Two days after he was lustily booed by hometown fans, Deshaun Watson has been handed the reins to the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback job for Week 1 of the 2026 season.

Cleveland is naming Watson the starter over Shedeur Sanders for its game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 13, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Monday, per sources.

For a variety of reasons, it is likely to be an unpopular decision, easily the most important so far for Todd Monken in his first year as head coach.

Over two preseason games, Watson completed 16 of 27 passes (59.3%) for 162 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. Sanders connected on 15 of 22 attempts (68.2%) for 153 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

On Saturday, Watson played the second half of the Browns’ 31-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Though the Huntington Bank Field stands were hardly filled, the boos were loud enough to become a story.

Watson was in action on the home field for the first time since tearing his Achilles tendon on it during an Oct. 20, 2024 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The crowd cheered Watson’s exit that day.

Speaking about the crowd’s reaction Saturday and when he was injured, Watson tabbed it “personal” and “disrespectful.”  

Monken said neither Watson’s comments nor fan fallout would impact his decision, which culminates an offseason-long QB battle that saw Sanders and Watson splitting reps throughout practices.

Sanders was a fifth-round draft choice of the Browns in 2025 and ended last season as the team’s starter. Dillon Gabriel, a 2025 third-round pick who was ahead of Sanders in the pecking order last year before suffering an injury, has been lost in the shuffle.

Watson, 30, is entering his fifth season with the Browns, but has played in just 19 games over the span since Cleveland acquired him in a trade from the Houston Texans. The game against the Jaguars will mark only his third Week 1 start, having missed the season openers in 2022 (suspension) and 2025 (injury).

Watson was a three-time Pro Bowler in four seasons with the Texans, earning a league passing title in 2020. Watson requested a trade from Houston thereafter and was inactive for all of the 2021 season.

Watson was accused by more than 20 women of sexual misconduct during massage sessions. Two Texans grand juries declined pursuing criminal charges. He was traded to the Browns soon after, with the Texans receiving a cache of draft picks, including three first-rounders. Cleveland and Watson subsequently agreed to a five-year, $230 million extension that was fully guaranteed.

Watson was suspended for the first 11 games of the 2022 season. After finally taking the field for Cleveland, Watson fell well short of his previous all-star form and dealt with a litany of injuries.

A shoulder injury and surgery resulted in him missing the final nine games of the 2023 season. He played only seven games in 2024 thanks to the Achilles injury and underwent two surgeries that led to him missing all of last season.

He’s entering the final year of his current contract, which has been viewed as an albatross for the franchise in the eyes of many. Cleveland is incurring a $40.9 million cap hit this season thanks to the deal.