The Cleveland Browns are no strangers to bad vibes, but the 2026 season could be one for the record books after the Deshaun Watson/Shedeur Sanders quarterback duel has been decided.
Ian Rapoport and others confirmed that Watson will be the starter in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, while Sanders will serve as the backup. Announcing this just a few days after the most disliked man in football with the biggest albatross contract in the league went off on fans booing him makes this move even more poisonous optically.
Heading into the 2026 season, there is very little to be excited about in Cleveland. The future may be promising due to their young talent and the possibility of a high pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, but this year could be very rough sledding for everyone involved thanks to the decision to go back to Watson.
Cleveland Browns have very bad vibes after Deshaun Watson named Week 1 starting QB
Sanders was by no means playing particularly well in practice or preseason action, but part of why he got into games last year was that he provided a spark. Watson certainly isn't a spark at this point, and it would have at least made for some interesting games to see Sanders with rookies KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston on the outside.
In past years, the Browns could at least hang their hat on a ferocious defense that can win games singlehandedly. That unit no longer exists, as Myles Garrett is now in Los Angeles and Jim Schwartz is out of a job. There's a profound sense of resignation that comes from the Watson decision, almost as if Cleveland is waving a white flag on the year preemptively.
Even if the Browns were going to be bad in Year 1 of Monken (a coach not everyone was thrilled about), Sanders at least gave fans a reason to tune in. Watson may be a sunk cost, but if the Browns can pay him $50 million to start poorly, they can pay him $50 million to back up Sanders poorly.
Cleveland Browns have very bad vibes after Deshaun Watson is named Week 1 starter
Kicking a whole tub of antifreeze into the middle of this proverbial soup by starting someone that even the fan base loathes is a good way for Monken to set this team up for failure and burn some of the goodwill he engendered.
Watson hasn't been a good quarterback since Baker Mayfield led the Browns to the playoffs, his off-field problems have justifiably vilified him, and his own fanbase can't mask their disgust. Throw in awful play against backups in the preseason coming off a major injury, and you have the least convincing recipe for success in the league.
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