Deshaun Watson Starting Again Is the Browns Fans’ Worst-Case Scenario

For Browns fans hoping to finally turn the page from Deshaun Watson, Monday was yet another reminder that it’s not going to happen anytime soon. Watson was named Cleveland’s starting quarterback to begin the 2026 season, Todd Monken announced Monday.

Is this rock bottom? No, it’s the Browns’ quarterback situation.

The Browns went 0-16 in 2017. They’ve had 42 different starting quarterbacks since 1999. And somehow, someway, Cleveland’s quarterback situation might be in its worst spot yet.

This isn’t simply about a bad quarterback situation anymore. It’s about a fanbase that desperately wants to move on from Watson and all of his baggage, a quarterback who has failed to live up to the historic price Cleveland paid for him, and a team that has now decided to put him back in the starting lineup anyway.

For Browns fans, it’s hard to imagine a worse outcome.

For a franchise that has made a lot of questionable decisions since 1999 (and before that), this one might be the cherry on top.

Leading up to his first game back in Cleveland on Saturday against the Buffalo Bills, Watson had a simple three-word response last Wednesday on the potential reaction from Browns fans during the game.

“I don’t care,” he said.

Watson Did, In Fact, Care

Saturday was supposed to be a chance for Watson to secure the starting job against a Buffalo Bills team that sat many of its starters.

Instead, Watson’s postgame press conference became the biggest headline of the Browns’ dismal 31-7 loss.

With Watson only playing the second half, he went against all backups, including plenty of players who won’t make Buffalo’s 53-man roster ahead of the regular season. Even with that, Watson completed just 5-of-12 passes for 36 yards and an interception.

Watson was booed by the home fans in Cleveland five times – the same number of passes he completed.

Even before he took a snap, Browns fans booed Watson as he ran onto the field for his first drive of the game – his first appearance in front of the home crowd since he tore his Achilles on Oct. 20, 2024. Many fans cheered when he suffered that injury.

This takes us back to Watson’s postgame comments on Saturday, proving that he did, in fact, care about how the fans have reacted to him in his last two games in front of the Dawg Pound.

Four questions and less than a minute into the presser, Watson was asked about his reaction “in the moment” after hearing the boos.

That was the point of no return.

“Man, I didn’t have any reaction. I think the biggest thing is, I think you guys know, and I think the whole world knows, that it has nothing to do with the performance. It’s a little more personal than that,” Watson said. “So, I think that’s a disrespectful thing. I’m going to keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally on how I feel about that, and just move on.”

He was then asked if playing better and winning would help eliminate that.

“Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles, and that same fan base cheered when I got hurt,” he said. “So, what does that have to do with anything about performance? When a person gets hurt, especially in their own city, and they cheer.

“The only time I feel that energy is when I’m in the stadium or it’s on social media,” Watson continued. “Like I mentioned before, when I’m in public, no one’s mentioning anything. So, I think that’s the only time those people who are holding it in are trying to disrupt the energy. Because on social media, players can’t respond back, and in the stadium, players can’t respond back. So, I get it, I understand it. It is what it is.”

Watson then said that he would rather play on the road than in front of Cleveland fans.

“I don’t know. It’s a mental battle every day. I feel like I get more love on road games than I do at home games,” Watson said. “So, if it is my spot and he does make me the starter, maybe it’s 17 away games, then. I don’t know.

“Again, I’m not sure. I don’t know,” he continued. “I thought being away for two years and working myself back from two Achilles injuries and putting the time in, being around the facility, being around the city, doing charity work in the city, supporting the Cleveland Browns, hanging out with fans whenever I do see them, being honest, being the type of person I know I am, and the character would help, and I guess it hasn’t. So, that’s why I say it’s more personal. It is what it is. People have their own opinions, and there’s only so much you can do to change that. So, at the end of the day, I just have to continue to work on it and strive to be better mentally moving forward.”

By the time the second half started, the crowd at Huntington Bank Field was very sparse, especially after a lengthy lightning delay at the beginning of the game.

Watson was this bothered on Saturday by a few thousand fans booing? Granted, the boos were still loud enough to be heard on the broadcast, but just wait until it’s a sellout crowd for the home opener in Week 3 against the Carolina Panthers.

The Victim?

Watson seemed to frame the Browns fans as antagonists while acting like a victim. He doesn’t get to do that.

Cleveland traded three first-round picks for him and gave him a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract before he even set foot in the Browns’ facility.

Since arriving in Cleveland, Watson has completed 341-of-557 passes (61.7%) for 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 19 games. He hasn’t thrown for more than 1,150 yards in a season since 2020, when he led the NFL with 4,823 yards. He then missed all of 2021 and the first 11 games of 2022.

Watson has been one of the worst quarterbacks in the league over the last three seasons, yet he's portraying himself as the victim?

Winning Cures All, at Least Most of the Time

Whether we like it or not, winning cures a lot of things, at least on game days. If Watson had been among the league’s top quarterbacks – as his contract makes it look like he is – and leading the Browns to plenty of victories, Browns fans would have plenty to cheer – not boo – about.

Monken addressed that perfectly on Sunday.

“I’m not concerned about that,” he said. “What I’m concerned about is us playing well as a team and on offense, because when you play well, none of the other stuff matters. Just play well, coach well, score points, win games, and none of that will even matter.

“The business we’re in is a performance-based business. It is what it is,” Monken continued. “When we expect a service, we’re going to be disappointed when we don’t get that service. If you go to a restaurant and your soup comes out cold, you’re going to be upset. If you order from the grocery store and six of your eggs are broken, you’re going to be pissed. So, I get it; that’s what we’re in. That’s why we’re paid what we are, to perform at a high level, and when we don’t, there are repercussions. We’ve run into this smoke. This is the job we’ve chosen, so this is part of it.”

A Fanbase United

The overwhelming majority of Browns fans seem to be against Watson playing – let alone starting – again for the Browns. Cleveland is over it, especially because Watson hasn’t been good since he arrived.

It’s not often that a fanbase is this united on one opinion, yet here we are.

Booing a player on your favorite team isn’t ideal, but Browns fans are showing their frustration the only way they can inside the stadium.

Should’ve Started Shedeur Sanders at All Costs

It’s too late now, given that Monken announced Watson as the Browns’ starting quarterback to begin the 2026 season, but that’s a decision many Cleveland fans wish the head coach hadn’t made.

I don’t care if Sanders was the second-best quarterback throughout camp.

I don’t care if Sanders must work on certain things a quarterback has to be able to do pre-snap.

I don’t care if Sanders isn’t the future of the Browns. Watson isn’t either – clearly.

I’d rather watch opposing teams do Sanders’ signature watch celebration after the quarterback throws an interception than have to watch Watson try to be a competent quarterback again.

The majority of Browns fans would rather watch Sanders play this season than Watson, even if it leads to more losses. Sanders is still learning the game, while Watson’s ceiling in Cleveland is known, especially after tearing the same Achilles twice in the span of three months.

The ability to move around in the pocket and scramble has always been a big part of Watson’s game and success. After those injuries, that is no longer something he will be able to lean on as much as he’s used to.

The 2026 season is a lost one. Cleveland fans know that. It’s all about next year’s NFL Draft – a tradition unlike any other – and especially about when the Browns open the dome in 2029.

So why not start the guy the Dawg Pound can at least cheer for?

That would make losing at least a little more fun.

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