Shedeur Sanders served as Deshaun Watson’s backup in the Cleveland Browns’ 2026 NFL season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Todd Monken was named the Browns’ head coach during the offseason, with the responsibility of helping revive the Browns after a disappointing 2025 campaign. The Browns ended the season with a 5-12 record, with quarterback play being one of their biggest issues.
Monken spent the offseason, training camp and preseason evaluating both Sanders and Watson before announcing his decision to name Watson the starter for the Jaguars game. That decision faced backlash after the Browns were thrashed by the Jaguars, 34-10, with Watson’s struggles being quite evident in his return to the NFL after nearly two years away from the game due to a pair of Achilles tendon injuries.
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Watson completed 16 of 22 passes for 205 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The stats might look fine on the surface, but the reality was different, as most of his production came when the game was already decided. Watson’s struggles meant that Monken had to consider whether to stick with him or turn to Sanders for the next game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Monken, reacting to the quarterback situation, said, “I anticipate Deshaun will be our starter.” But it’s going to be a difficult task for both Monken and Watson, especially after the Browns received unfortunate injury news involving Dylan Sampson.
Sampson suffered a knee injury during the first quarter of the Jaguars game, and it’s looking like he’ll be out for an extended period. NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler reported that Sampson is expected to miss “significant time” due to the injury.
This is brutal news for Monken and Watson as they look to bounce back after a forgettable outing against the Jaguars.
