'The Intention Was For Deshaun To Start': Browns Open Up on Recent QB Decisions

“I had no intention of Deshaun not being our starter."

All the speculation seems to have been for nothing.

Even though second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders showed up and showed out in a Week 9 loss to the New Orleans Saints in overtime, the Cleveland Browns never planned to give him another shot.

On Wednesday, Nov. 11, Browns head coach Todd Monken confirmed publicly that the plan was for Deshaun Watson to remain Cleveland's starter after he returned from concussion protocol.

"Everything you're considering, but ultimately Deshaun's done a really good job for us," he said in an X post from ESPN NFL Insider. "5-3 as a starter, and he's worked awfully hard to get back. There's a high belief in that ... the intention was for Deshaun to start. It's just when you come in on that Monday, you haven't really even met as a staff. You've just gone through the film, you've got with ownership and I just wanted to make sure we talked through as a staff, this is the way we're going forward.

"Great. That's all it was. It was pretty simple."

Todd Monken on if he gave real consideration to starting Shedeur Sanders this week: "Everything you're considering, but ultimately Deshaun's done a really good job for us. 5-3 as a starter, and he's worked awfully hard to get back. There's a high belief in that ... the intention… https://t.co/9HKHCzQKM1
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) November 11, 2026

Following Sunday's one-point loss, though, Monken's comments led to intense speculation, and understandably so. He had shared that he was not willing to talk about who the starting quarterback would be moving forward, which seemingly left the door open for Sanders.

He clarified why he said that on Wednesday.

"That was my intention," Monken said about eventually backing Watson. "I just wanted to make sure to run it by the staff before I said it publicly. I don't even know why I have to say it publicly, because it's really only our business in terms of who's going to play and who's not going to play. But he played well enough to still be our starter."

Monken: "That was my intention. I just wanted to make sure to run it by the staff before I said it publicly. I don't even know why I have to say it publicly, because it's really only our business in terms of who's going to play and who's not going to play. But he played well… https://t.co/9kHio8Vva4
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) November 11, 2026

This season, Watson has thrown for 1,806 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions on a whopping 249 attempts. He has completed 65.5% of his passes, which is currently the fourth-best mark of his career across the last eight years.

While he still isn't looking like the former Houston Texans Pro Bowler, he is slowly but surely returning to that dynamic quarterback he once was.

On the ground, Watson has flashed his versatility, taking 51 carries for 217 yards and one score, which is the most since 2020.

If Cleveland really wants to get something out of Watson before his contract expires at the end of the year, continuing to let him thrive out on the gridiron is the best option. However, that would mean the Browns have some sort of belief that he will be around the team for the foreseeable future. Because why else would you then turn your back on the second-year Sanders?

Whatever is happening behind closed doors in the Browns' building has left a lot up for interpretation this season, especially at the quarterback position.

The only hope now is that Watson and the Browns don't waste the 2026 campaign and instead put together a strong push to make the playoffs.

The team returns to the field this weekend against the Houston Texans at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland.

The two sides clash at 1:00 p.m. EST, with Watson getting a taste of his former side.

"It's a big opportunity for us to get back on the winning track, especially in front of our home fans," Watson said. "That's the ultimate focus is focus on that. On the outside things, going against my former team, that stuff was in the past. Four or five years ago, yeah, it was a big deal, but now I think both sides have moved on.

"We're just both trying to find ways to win and continue to put ourselves in position for later on down the road."

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