Abysmal outing for Deshaun Watson against Bills

Monken had been a little more evasive on the issue in his post-game interview after Week 1’s shellacking. It appears the Browns would like to touch the hot stove at least one more time against the Buccaneers. Expectations for all Browns pass-catchers and runners can be lowered even against a middling Bucs defense. Monken added “there were some really good things on film.”

Watson added six carries for 38 yards on the ground. The Browns had a lethargic offense for the most part in Week 1, plagued by several delay-of-games and a variety of other penalties. The box score reads just one turnover for Watson, but there were many other opportunities. His interception occurred in Jaguars territory on the Browns’ first drive of the game. Watson then threw an interception that was dropped on the second drive, and fumbled twice; one was recovered by the Browns and he was just barely ruled down on the second. The Browns were finally able to score a touchdown on a 46-yard throw from Watson to rookie Denzel Boston with the game out of reach in the fourth quarter. The Browns offense with Watson at the helm is ultimately turnover-prone and lethargic but has room for fantasy production in negative game script situations. Watson is a fantasy QB3 heading into Week 2 against the Buccaneers.

Monken has stressed explosive plays as an important part of the Cleveland offense headed into the 2026 regular season. “Obviously having explosive players helps that,” Monken said. “Being able to scheme it up against certain looks and then being able to execute because your protection has to hold up when you get those opportunities. I’m confident in Deshaun and our ability to push the ball down the field, otherwise we wouldn’t be starting him.” That confidence might be misplaced considering Watson completed just 1-of-6 attempts for 20 yards and an interception on downfield passes in the preseason and was among the league’s worst deep ball passers in 2024, when he threw downfield on a career-low 27 percent of his attempts. Once an elite deep ball thrower, Watson will look to regain form coming off two torn Achilles, entering his age-30 season. Perhaps rookie WR Denzel Boston will be a boon for Watson’s downfield game in 2026.

This is coming from multiple reports, per Schultz. We’ll eventually get word from head coach Todd Monken on the decision, but it sounds like Watson, who was the favorite to win the battle entering training camp, will get the first crack at the starting job. Watson completed 16-of-27 passes for no touchdowns and one interception in his two preseason appearances, and struggled in last week’s outing against the Bills while playing with backups. Despite being booed off the field after a disappointing performance in front of a home crowd, the 30-year-old vet, who is in the final year of a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract, will get the chance to show he can lead the Browns in 2026. Watson shouldn’t be viewed as anything more than a low-end QB2 for fantasy purposes, but he has some exciting offensive weapons to throw to in Denzel Boston, KC Concepcion, and Harold Fannin.

Second-year Browns QB Shedeur Sanders outplayed veteran QB Deshaun Watson on Saturday. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported earlier today that the team must decide whether Watson is “in a good enough space to be the leader for this team,” adding that Sanders’ “presence” and “aura” have helped him curry favor with people in the Browns’ organization. At the end of the day, Sanders is likely the better bet to provide the requisite passing game stability for a couple of Browns’ pass catchers to maintain weekly starting consideration in fantasy, though Sanders himself is unlikely to be anything more than a QB2 in superflex leagues.

It sounds like Saturday’s game against the Bills is set up to be the final dress rehearsal for Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders before Monken decides who will start in Week 1 against the Jaguars. Sanders is expected to start on Saturday against the Bills, with Watson expected to take the field in the second half of Saturday’s game. Neither quarterback looked particularly impressive in the first preseason game against the Bears, with both committing turnovers in their respective halves. Whoever gets the nod as the starter will likely sit in the team’s preseason finale against the Patriots next week.

Both Fowler and his colleague, Herm Edwards, complimented QB Deshaun Watson’s recent performances in both practice and preseason play. Per Fowler, Watson “has some momentum, not all of the momentum” at this time. His competitor, QB Shedeur Sanders, will start against the Bills this weekend.

We’d normally skip right past this, but it’s a notable quote given the open competition for the starting quarterback job. It would seem to imply that Watson is in the lead. “It was so cool to watch him play. I get all of the frustration by fans, himself (with the past), but for him to come back and work like he did is an unbelievable credit to him,” Monken said. It sounds like Monken will continue the competition through the second week of the preseason, but there’s already a lean here.

It was an up-and-down outing for Watson, who led two scoring drives in the first half. At times, Watson looked on point and decisive with his throws. On the lone touchdown drive he led, Watson went 4-for-4 passing, with his biggest play coming on a 43-yard screen pass to Dylan Sampson. Unfortunately, he also lost a fumble on a strip sack by Jamree Kromah and went three-and-out during a two-minute drill. It was exactly the kind of performance we expected to see based on reports of how the Browns’ QB battle has gone so far this offseason.

Per Schefter, Todd Monken informed the quarterbacks this afternoon that Watson will get the first preseason start and Shedeur Sanders will draw the second. He will face Buffalo. We don’t want to read too much into the order of the starts, but it’s at least somewhat notable that Watson is first in line. The next two preseason games will likely determine Cleveland’s Week 1 starter. Neither option will do the Browns’ pass-catchers any favors for fantasy purposes.