Deshaun Watson almost seemed surprised by the question, even though the Cleveland Browns’ reliance on the shotgun on offense through five games has been painfully obvious.
The Browns have been operating almost exclusively from the gun since Week 3, after the offense finally found a rhythm in a comeback win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Cleveland has rapidly climbed from the middle of the league to No. 1 overall in shotgun rate at 77.6% entering Week 6.
That tendency might have reached a breaking point last week. Despite playing Sunday’s road game against the New York Jets in steady rain that reached downpour levels at times, the Browns still operated out of the shotgun on 97% of their offensive plays, the No. 1 rate of any NFL team in Week 5, per Sharp Football Analysis.
The why seems pretty straightforward here. Watson has been most comfortable in the shotgun throughout his career at Clemson and with the Houston Texans. Monken has a background in the college game, including a pair of national titles with Georgia as offensive coordinator.
Monken knows how to make a shotgun-heavy approach work, and Watson told reporters Wednesday that he would be open to going more under center.
He just didn’t sound very convincing.
Deshaun Watson had an awkward exchange with a reporter over Browns’ NFL-leading shotgun rate
Watson seemed a bit dismissive when asked about what has been a nationally perceived preference of lining up in the shotgun. Here was the full exchange:
Reporter: Will you go under center a little bit more to diversify things?
Watson: “It just depends on the game plan. You know, it just depends on what Coach Monken wants to do each and every week. You know, we’ve been so multiple and we can attack in different ways. But it really just depends on the game plan.”
Reporter: “Why are you more comfortable in the shotgun?”
Watson: “Who?”
Reporter: “You.”
Watson: “I mean, I think every quarterback would probably necessarily say that, but I don’t have a preference.”
Reporter: “Do you think you run the ball better out of the shotgun, I mean you personally, your scramble runs?”
Watson: “I mean, that’s the only way that you can kinda get QB runs is from the shotgun. I don’t think necessarily you’re going to do that under center.”
The best part of that multi-question exchange was Watson saying “who?” when asked point-blank about why he’s more comfortable in the shotgun.
It’s clearly a situation that needs to be managed. The majority of NFL teams operate out of the shotgun over 50% of the time, but only four teams — the Browns, Bengals, Titans, and Commanders — are at over 70% entering Week 6.
The best offenses strike a balance, and a look at the reverse side of the shotgun rate rankings reveals a fact that Monken and the Browns shouldn't ignore.
Some of the NFL's best offenses are showing the Browns another way forward
When you flip the shotgun rate rankings entering Week 6, the Buffalo Bills top the list at a 44% usage rate. The teams directly behind them are the 49ers, Seahawks, Falcons, Lions, Patriots, Jaguars, Bears, Ravens, and Rams.
Those 10 teams have combined for a 33-17 record through five games, and four of them currently lead their respective divisions. The 2026 MVP is likely hiding among that group between Josh Allen, Brock Purdy, Jared Goff, Drake Maye, Trevor Lawrence, Lamar Jackson, and Matthew Stafford.
The biggest thing those 10 teams have in common? They all can run the football. All 10 currently rank inside the top 17 in the NFL in average rushing yards per game.
Cleveland's struggling run game has been a cause for concern. There's a clear culprit, though.
The writing is on the wall here for Monken and the Browns. Staying in the shotgun on virtually every snap, as the Browns did last week against the Jets, allows the defense to play more downhill with their eyes on the football. Going under center opens up the kind of deception and play-action that’s been missing from Cleveland’s attack.
The Browns aren’t going to completely change their stripes over the course of one week. But the NFL game has been trending more under center in recent seasons, and Monken should take Watson’s claims that he doesn’t have a preference to heart.
Week 6 against the Ravens would be a great place to start mixing things up.
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