Yahoo Sports NFL on Deshaun Watson

ArticleCleveland Browns: Deshaun Watson as QB1. How did we get here again?
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Neither plays well enough to instill confidence that they are QB1 material; Watson is booed by the home fans when he enters the game and while struggling to get anything going on offense; Monken announced that Watson will open the season as Cleveland's starting quarterback.
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Negative signalRole

Watson named 2026 starter but preseason performance uninspiring; benching scenarios loom.

Watson is named the starting quarterback for the 2026 season by new head coach Todd Monken after a preseason competition with Shedeur Sanders. However, the source notes that neither Watson nor Sanders played well enough in preseason to instill confidence they are QB1 material. Watson was booed by home fans during the second preseason game against Buffalo and struggled to get anything going on offense. The source outlines three scenarios for the 2026 season, all of which involve Watson either playing poorly or being benched in favor of Sanders, suggesting the Browns are entering the endgame of the Watson era.

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