The Cleveland Browns officially named Deshaun Watson the team’s starting quarterback for Week 1 of the 2026 NFL regular season.
Watson, who was in a starting quarterback battle with Shedeur Sanders, was named the team’s QB1 by head coach Todd Monken. Watson will start at quarterback when the Browns open the regular season in Jacksonville.
News of Watson being named starting quarterback comes about 48 hours after he was booed heavily by his home fans in Cleveland. Watson, who was traded from Houston to Cleveland in a blockbuster move that has blown up in the Browns face, has dealt with injuries, off-the-field accusations and more since arriving to the AFC North franchise. He found the home fans booing him to be “disrespectful.”
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“It has nothing to do about the performance,” Watson said of the boos. “It’s a little bit personal. 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. Just move on.”
“Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles and that same fan base, they cheered when I got hurt,” Watson said. “So what does that have to do with anything about performance? When a person gets hurt, especially for your own city and they cheer.”
How can the Browns start a player who is getting booed by his own fans?
It’s simple: the Browns start on the road.
Cleveland’s likely plan for Deshaun Watson
The Browns open in Jacksonville in Week 1 and then play in Tampa Bay in Week 2.
Cleveland is probably thinking: If Watson plays well in Week 1 and Week 2, and the Browns have momentum coming into their home opener in Week 3, the fan base could get behind him.
However, if he plays poorly, the Browns could turn to Shedeur Sanders for the home opener in Week 3.
The team’s schedule gives the Browns some runway to see what Watson has and make a decision before the home opener.
