The Cleveland Browns are days away from kicking off their 2026 season, and head coach Todd Monken is still defending his decision to name Deshaun Watson as the Week 1 starter. The head coach recently did just that in an appearance on 92.3 The Fan.
Cleveland radio host Anthony Lima argued that Watson, after his disastrous moments on the field and at the podium during the second week of the preseason, didn’t seem like a quarterback ready to start a game for the Browns. Monken agreed that Lima was “right in some ways,” admitting that Watson wasn’t in a good headspace during or after the preseason game against the Buffalo Bills.
However, the head coach considers the moment from Watson “just a blip on the radar,” and that’s why it didn’t affect Monken’s decision on who will start.
"I looked at it more along the lines of a speed bump, and just a blip on the radar, more than the norm of what I have seen over the course of the five months being here. In terms of his confidence, how hard he’s worked to get back to where he’s at today."
Monken went on to detail how Watson immediately came to him to express that he didn’t handle things the right way, but he had things on his heart that he needed to get off his chest so he could move on and play good football.
The head coach is taking the veteran quarterback at his word, but there’s one big error in Monken’s assessment. The norm that he’s basing everything on isn’t anything like the hostile environment Watson will be asked to thrive in. So while Monken is viewing Watson’s rough moment as a speed bump, it could prove to be one of several potholes on a raggedy street.
Todd Monken continues to give Deshaun Watson the benefit of the doubt
Monken made it clear that he liked what he saw from Watson for the majority of their first five months together; that’s why he was able to casually move past Watson’s concerning moments in the preseason. What Monken doesn’t seem to be taking into account, though, is that the circumstances he evaluated Watson in during those five months are much different than the circumstances he’ll be playing in.
In practice, Watson didn’t have to deal with thousands of fans letting it be known that they hate him. He also didn’t have to deal with defenders actually trying to tackle him. When Watson was impressing Monken in meeting rooms with his veteran knowledge, he was in a comfortable environment where everyone was on his side.
The moment Watson had to return to the field where he ruptured his Achilles, and play in front of the booing fans that picked up right where they left off when he was being carted off the field, he crumbled. The veteran quarterback crumbled with his play in the game, and mentally at the podium.
It’s easy for Watson and Monken to say that was just a one-off moment that the quarterback had to get out of his system, but there’s nothing to support that being anything other than wishful thinking. Watson only faced that test once, and he failed miserably.
The Browns could say Watson will be better prepared the next time, but the truth is they don’t know. It’s like a person saying they took time to work on their self and they’re now ready for a relationship. However, their readiness won’t really be tested until they encounter the triggers that a relationship can bring.
Until Watson goes out and proves that he can play well in front of a Browns crowd that isn’t on his side, fans won’t be able to disregard what happened in the preseason as a speed bump.
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