Cleveland Browns coach Todd Monken naming Deshaun Watson the team’s starter ahead of Shedeur Sanders has caused widespread consternation among fans and analysts. Hall of Famer Joe Thomas opined that Monken chose Watson over Sanders because of the veteran’s experience running different NFL offenses.
Browns Hall of Famer Predicts Deshaun Watson’s Short QB1 Leash
During Tuesday’s segment of the “Rich Eisen Show,” Thomas further predicted that Watson would have a very short leash to establish himself as the Browns’ QB1 before the team plays against the Carolina Panthers at home in Week 3.
“He’s got to play well in those first two games. Probably got to win at least one of them to be able to keep that starting job,” Thomas said. “But certainly, as they’re looking at the schedule and knowing what the fan reaction has been to Deshaun Watson, he needs to play well in those first two games.”
“He needs to probably win at least one of those two to be able to continue to be the starter when he comes home to Cleveland. Because you can imagine, if you go 0-2 and don’t play well in those two games and then they roll him out as a starter in Week 3, it’s not going to be a very pretty picture in Cleveland.”
Watson has a contentious relationship with the Browns fans after they cheered his Achilles injury in 2024. The Browns fans also booed the quarterback during their second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills last Saturday.
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Since being traded by the Houston Texans in 2022, Watson’s career in Cleveland has been interrupted by off-field issues and incessant injuries.
The three-time Pro Bowler has only played 19 games for the Browns (9-10 record).
Thomas revealed the reason for the Browns fans’ impatience with Watson being named QB1 over Sanders.
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“I think everybody in Cleveland, part of the reason there’s been frustration after naming Deshaun Watson the starter, outside of all the things that they’ve dealt with and outside of him playing very poorly against the Bills, is that hey, we want to be able to see who this guy is, this Shedeur Sanders, who we still believe could be the quarterback of the future,” Thomas added.
“He’s shown great progress. He’s done a lot of really, really good things so far since he got here in Cleveland. And we want to see what his potential is.”
Watson will have his work cut out for him to turn around the Browns offense, which earned the league’s worst PFN Offense Impact score of 54.0 last season.
Sanders finished last season as the team’s starting quarterback after usurping Dillon Gabriel midway through the season.
The former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback led the Browns to a 3-4 record and had promising performances.
