Deshaun Watson’s Browns Return Couldn’t Have Gone Much Worse

The Cleveland Browns are stuck in a state of limbo with Deshaun Watson at quarterback.

Sep 13, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) in the third quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars rat EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cleveland Browns fans may still be in a state of shock just 24 hours after the team's season debut. Deshaun Watson in particular is drawing much of the attention.

He made his return to the field for the first time since 2024 and proceeded to throw an interception on the first drive. That set the tone for the remainder of the 34-10 loss.

His supporters will note he finished with 205 passing yards and a touchdown. Those are still meager numbers by NFL standards, and the touchdown came late when the game was well out of reach. That is true even if the throw was a beautiful one to Denzel Boston.

The Browns never stood a chance in the game and Watson's return to the field was a worst-case scenario for several reasons.

Browns remain stuck with Watson at QB

Head coach Todd Monken made it clear Watson gave the team the best option to win. Replacing him with Shedeur Sanders right now would raise questions of how Sanders is going to do if he could supposedly not even be better than what Watson showed Sunday.

Thus, the team is stuck with Watson at least for now. Given that's the case, it was painful to see the offense only put up 10 points. He looked shaky early on and didn't really let loose until garbage time when the Jacksonville defense may have let up a bit.

His late touchdown pass was just enough to put a good throw on tape and seemingly prove some of his old talent is still there. To recap, the team lost big, Watson looked awful for much of the game, but showed enough to get another start. That keeps Browns fans in a state of quarterback purgatory with no likely hope of winning in sight.

It must also be made clear Watson's debut being a disaster wasn't all his fault. The Browns defense looked like a shell of its 2025 self as a collective unit. Jaguars receivers were running free all over the secondary en route to Trevor Lawrence throwing four touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Mason Graham was the only Browns defender with a sack and Jared Verse failed to meet the high expectations set for him following his arrival in the Myles Garrett trade.

The offense was stagnant and erratic, the defense was full of holes, and the head coach essentially insulted the fans by kicking a field goal while down 31-0. At least a shutout may have forced a change at quarterback, whether that's a good sign or not.

Instead, the Browns are set to run it back in Florida against Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mayfield will surely be out for revenge and a not-so-small number of Browns fans will be cheering him on in that quest.