Deshaun Watson returned to practice for the Cleveland Browns on Friday following a two-day absence — and the internet reacted accordingly.
It was all for naught, though: Shedeur Sanders will make his first start of the 2026 season on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, head coach Todd Monken confirmed.
Sanders met with the media on Wednesday and took every team rep in practice throughout the week. With that said, Watson’s uncertain playing status as he works through the NFL’s five-step concussion protocol could have changed everything for the Browns.
In the best way — at least in regard to Sunday’s road game against the New Orleans Saints.
Could Watson, if medically cleared by Saturday, have feasibly started Sunday’s game after missing two practices? Absolutely, that was always a possibility.
What the Browns had working in their favor this week was gamesmanship. They didn't need to give that away, at least not this soon.
Sunday’s matchup would have changed drastically depending on which Cleveland quarterback was on the field. The Browns let the Saints off the hook, in a sense. New Orleans no longer has to prepare for the possibility of Watson being cleared. It can spend the next two days focusing squarely on a game plan for Sanders.
Admittedly, if there was an edge to be gained here, it was marginal at best. But for a Saints defense that’s struggling as much as any team in the league right now, Monken's decision to name Sanders the starter on Friday feels like a missed opportunity.
Browns could have forced the Saints to prepare for two very different quarterbacks
The potential for Watson to complete the NFL’s return-to-play protocol but still be held out of this week’s game had been there from the start. Per the team’s statement on Wednesday morning, Watson reported concussion-like symptoms on Monday night. That development made it almost impossible for him to be able to log a full week of practice.
As Monken told reporters this week, it’s more difficult for a quarterback to play in a game with limited practice reps than any other position. There’s a timing aspect to a game-plan install that only live reps can replicate.
"He's still not able to do any team reps," Monken said Friday. "He can do individual. He can do some routes. He's been in meetings. But you're not able to do any of the team reps. That makes it difficult."
Monken's decision makes sense in a vacuum. For a Browns offense that’s been outscored by an egregious 52 points in the first quarter this season — the NFL’s worst mark by a wide margin — the team can’t really afford to let Watson shake off the rust during Sunday's first half.
Watson carrying a questionable tag into the weekend, though, would have kept everything on the table. If the Browns were really on their game, they could have taken this thing up until 90 minutes prior to kickoff, when their official inactives list is made public.
The plan behind closed doors was likely to roll with Sanders since Tuesday, but Monken did say to reporters regarding Watson on Wednesday: "I’ll just say that he felt a lot better today."
There was an opportunity there for Cleveland to withhold information from the Saints, especially with reporters spotting Watson back at practice on Friday and sharing videos of him throwing on social media.
The Browns played the game well with Gabriel’s preseason back injury and extended stint on injured reserve to start the season, utilizing a loophole that allowed Cleveland to carry all four quarterbacks on its roster.
They missed a chance to work the NFL’s injury rules to their advantage once again. It's a moot point now, but it wouldn've been the right approach to force New Orleans to prepare for every scenario right up until kickoff.
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