Deshaun Watson has officially been named the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns ahead of the 2026 NFL season. The decision has been met with some frustration from the fans, but Kirk Herbstreit recently spoke up to defend the polarizing veteran.
Kirk Herbstreit Supports Deshaun Watson Getting Another Chance with Browns
Watson has been a controversial figure in the NFL since facing 24 lawsuits for sexual misconduct. While he was never criminally charged with anything, many fans have been critical of him getting a massive opportunity with the Browns.
The quarterback was recently booed during a preseason game, and when asked about it during a press conference, he called the fans out for being “disrespectful” and that it had nothing to do with his performance on the football field. Herbstreit commented on the situation in relation to the concerning allegations against Watson.
“When that news broke, everybody was kind of like, ‘Whoa, what’s going on?’ Everybody was kind of surprised. I’m a guy that believes that everybody deserves second opportunities. And I know that this has been a disaster, one of the worst trades maybe in the history of the NFL. But he’s still a 30-year-old, and at one point was viewed as one of the top quarterbacks in the league,” said Herbstreit.
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The booth analyst also referenced some of the charitable work the quarterback did during his time with the Houston Texans as an example of why many were surprised by the claims of his accusers. He also explained that he believes the veteran deserves this opportunity in front of him to serve as the Cleveland starter.
“When that news broke, everybody was kind of like, ‘Whoa, what’s going on?’ Everybody was kind of surprised…I’m a guy that believes that everybody deserves second opportunities” – Kirk Herbstreit on Deshaun Watson pic.twitter.com/IEwCPi1sRv
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 28, 2026
Watson is entering the final year of his unprecedented $230 million fully guaranteed contract that he signed with the Browns shortly after they acquired him via trade. Herbstreit labeled this as one of the worst trades in NFL history.
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He has only appeared in 19 games over four years with his new team and has never finished higher than 28th in PFN’s Impact Rankings for quarterbacks in any season since leaving Houston. As a member of the Texans, he turned in three seasons ranked among the top six quarterbacks.
Despite being a massive disappointment relative to what the Browns gave up to get him, Watson will get another shot to prove himself as a capable starter. He beat out Shedeur Sanders, who ranked second-last among all quarterbacks last year on PFN’s QB Impact Metric, to earn the role for their Week 1 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
