Wait…what?! Todd Monken said he hasn’t watched tape on Deshaun Watson’s previous games with the Browns.
"I really, to be honest, haven’t looked at it. To be honest, only from afar. When people say, 'You had to look at it,' well, not really.
I looked at it from afar when I was down the road, in crossover film or something, but I try to take everything at face value, what I see. It doesn’t matter what the player is, I think we owe that to our players, guys that are on the roster.
I want to go into it thinking every player we have is elite, and all they have to do is prove me right. That’s all they have to do...They’re on an NFL roster, I expect them to play well, and I just want them to prove me right.
So, I really haven’t looked at that, different staff, different system. We’ll let it play out. We’ll see where it goes starting a week from now."
This would explain Monken’s decision to start Watson, because no one who’s seen him play in Cleveland would believe he can suddenly be a good quarterback.
And "different staff, different system?" Does that mean they don’t watch tape on college prospects or free agents because, again, different staff, different system?
Very head scratching comments today.
Julian Sayin is a better QB than Arch Manning right now. Better mechanics, more polished as a passer, and he processes the game at a higher level. If Arch’s last name wasn’t Manning, nobody would be pretending they’d rather have him than Sayin. #GoBucks🌰
Douglas Clawson of CBS Sports boldly predicts Week 1 could be Deshaun Watson's final NFL game, believing the Browns will quickly move on and could end up starting six different quarterbacks this season.
"Prediction: Week 1 will be Deshaun Watson's last NFL game," Clawson wrote. "Deshaun Watson won the starting QB job in Cleveland, but it won't last long (at all). He hasn't been the same after leaving Houston and he's dealt with a season-ending shoulder injury and two Achilles injuries with the Browns. The Browns will start an NFL-record six different QBs this year, including Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and rookie Taylen Green."
(https://t.co/7BneACEaE9)
👀 An anonymous source reportedly sent this clip of Deshaun Watson hanging out with Jimmy & Dee Haslam.
And now the question is making the rounds: is this why some people still see Watson as QB1? 👀🏈
#TalkAboutIt#DawgPound#Allegedly
🚨 ANOTHER fake NFL player has been located.
LADIES, please be aware of this scammer.
He goes by “Deshaun Watson” and is currently pretending to be a quarterback for the Cleveland Browns.
DO NOT FALL FOR IT.
Deshaun Watson says his love of the game and desire to prove he can still play high-level football are driving him ahead of his Browns return.
“My why is just the love of the game. I just want to prove myself that I am capable of still playing high-level football in this league, and to have the opportunity to be able to show that and I want to be able to do that each and every week," Watson said. “I’m healthy, 100% healthy now, mentally really, really good. And I just want to showcase that. So it’s going to be super exciting and a lot of plays and wins happening this year.”
(https://t.co/2VJnG84IoJ)
Tony Grossi believes the Browns should not keep four quarterbacks, suggesting Dillon Gabriel could be traded or released and that Cleveland might only get a fifth-round pick in a trade.
"I don't think you can keep four [quarterbacks]. That's ridiculous. You have four quarterbacks, and none of them is really a good number one. What's the point? I think Gabriel will be traded or cut. What about Miami as a backup? Who's behind Malik Willis? I think a fifth-round pick is the best you could hope for."
(via @ESPNCleveland)
Kirk Herbstreit: "Deshaun Watson hasn’t played winning football since he's been in Cleveland. He hasn't played in 22 months, so there’s a lot to question. This isn’t etched in stone. If they’re 0-2 and struggling, there’s a good chance we see Shedeur Sanders."
Ian Rapoport says the Browns are hoping Deshaun Watson plays well enough to make the ongoing discussion about potentially replacing him with Shedeur Sanders irrelevant.
"Maybe he will play well. And that really, inside the Browns organization, is the hope for Deshaun Watson—that all this talk about, 'Okay, they have a couple of games, and they turn home, and they could turn it over to Shedeur.' The hope is that his play makes it all moot. Todd Monken has done an excellent job of not just redirecting the public thought on Deshaun Watson, but also redirecting Watson's internal monologue, saying, 'Your play will dictate how they feel about you.' Maybe they do win some games because the roster is actually pretty good, then all of our discussions will be for nothing."
(via @NFLGameDay)
Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports named Jerry Jeudy as a potential trade candidate for the Browns, noting that Cleveland's young receiver depth could make him expendable if the right offer emerges.
"It's hard to know what a good offer for Jeudy would be and what Berry would want in exchange for him. A former first-round pick, Jeudy underperformed for the majority of his career before having a breakout season with the Browns in 2024. But Jeudy followed that season up with a largely disappointing 2025 campaign. Several teams, however, may chalk up Jeudy's shortcomings last season to Cleveland's quarterback inconsistencies."
(https://t.co/2ptBB61ntn)