Deshaun Watson’s first real football action since October 2024 was predictably uneven.
While he showed some veteran savvy, like helping the Cleveland Browns’ offense wiggle out of a 1st-and-25 situation in the first quarter, he never looked all that comfortable in the pocket, especially after four of the five starting offensive linemen exited the game after the second series. Watson was stripped for a lost fumble on a fourth-and-2 pass play in Bears territory and later failed to get the offense moving on a two-minute drill.
But Watson was still the Browns’ most efficient quarterback in Saturday’s 34-10 preseason loss to the Chicago Bears, and that’s saying something. Given everything the soon-to-be 31-year-old went through to return to the field after re-tearing his Achilles tendon in January of 2025, head coach Todd Monken could only marvel over how Watson looked and what he was able to accomplish.
“It was awesome,” Monken said. “It was so cool to watch him play. I mean… I get all of the frustration by fans, himself [with how his Browns tenure has gone], but for him to come back and work like he did is an unbelievable credit to him. And then to go out there — he was having fun today, and that is so cool. And I thought he really functioned at a high level.”
Todd Monken just made his feelings on Deshaun Watson crystal clear
Monken stopped short of making any declarations following the game. He reiterated that Shedeur Sanders will start this week’s home preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, and that Watson and Sanders will split first-team reps in some fashion during their joint practice with the Bills on Thursday.
This competition has been trending in Watson’s favor for the past couple of weeks, though, as the veteran has stacked some of his best practice days.
Cleveland’s second offensive series was clearly Watson’s best, and it started with a 5-yard scramble that was called back due to a Tytus Howard tripping penalty. That forced the Browns to face a first-and-25, and Watson connected on throws to Blake Whiteheart, Jerry Jeudy, and Denzel Boston to move the chains. Watson later put a third-down throw right on Harold Fannin Jr. for a would-be first down near the red zone, but the typically sure-handed tight end dropped the football, forcing Cleveland to settle for a field goal.
Watson looked less comfortable from that point forward as the Browns began mixing in their backup offensive linemen. Cleveland’s inability to get anything going on the ground — top running backs Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson combined for 15 yards on eight carries — certainly added an extra layer of difficulty.
On balance, Watson was pretty good, passing for over 100 yards in the first quarter alone and putting the ball in Monken’s court to make a final decision on his Week 1 starter for the regular season.
As Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated wrote on Saturday, Monken’s candid post-game comments may have said the quiet part out loud about his preferred quarterback.
"The Browns saw over the last few weeks a 30-year-old quarterback who was feeling like himself again, finally, in a new offense. The question was always going to be how consistently that's how it is. This is a pretty honest assessment from Todd Monken.”
Add us as a preferred source on Google