Deshaun Watson Named Browns' Starter for Season Opener at Jacksonville
Cleveland settles its Week 1 quarterback question, though the door stays open for more than one starter this year.
Deshaun Watson was named the Browns' Week 1 starting quarterback for their opener at Jacksonville, with the team hinting it could rotate multiple quarterbacks this season. It's a genuinely surprising call given Watson's own recent health history, and one that immediately puts Cleveland's entire quarterback plan under a real national spotlight in Week 1.
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A rookie is set to make his NFL regular-season debut alongside Watson. Cleveland went 1-2 in the preseason, including a 34-10 loss to Chicago and a 31-7 loss to Buffalo, offset by a 37-13 win over New England.
Watson, 30, hasn't played in a real NFL game since October 7, 2024, when he first tore his right Achilles; he re-ruptured it and had a second surgery in January, missing all of 2025. New head coach Todd Monken chose him over 24-year-old Shedeur Sanders, who threw 10 interceptions and completed 57% of his passes across eight rookie appearances last season despite making the Pro Bowl. Monken explained the call by saying he "took in the whole body of work over the course of offseason to training camp to games, the joint practice," and concluded that starting the season on the road, Watson gave Cleveland the best chance to move the ball and score points. Sanders will serve as the primary backup, with third-year passer Dillon Gabriel rounding out the room as QB3. Watson, in the final year of his contract, was direct about what winning the job means to him: "This is what I've been working for for two years, to show that I'm capable of being the starter for one of the 32 organizations in this league."
This decision adds another bizarre layer, given the team will almost certainly release him in March because of how his contract is structured. He's arguably the worst trade acquisition in pro sports history.— CBS Sports NFL desk
Our take: starting a 30-year-old quarterback who just went 5-of-12 for 35 yards and a pick in his last preseason outing, over a two-time-Achilles-recovery aside, is a genuinely hard decision to defend on football merit alone — this reads like a team protecting a sunk-cost contract for one more year rather than building around whoever gives it the best real chance to win now. If Watson struggles early against a division favorite in Jacksonville, the pressure to turn to Sanders — or the rookie now sharing the quarterback room — will build fast, and Cleveland's own front office knows it.
Week 1 Prediction: Score, Spread & Player Prop
Jaguars -8.5 home favorites (moneyline -380, Browns +300), per ESPN and CBS Sports.
Total sits at 39.5, one of the week's lowest, with models leaning Under given Cleveland's offensive question marks. Our pick: Jaguars 27, Browns 13 (Under).
Deshaun Watson UNDER 189.5 passing yards. Watson hasn't topped that mark in a real game in nearly two years, against a Jaguars defense he's now facing after a full season away.
Odds and props reflect market consensus across DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM as of this week — lines move, so check your own sportsbook before kickoff.
Browns' quarterback picture ahead of Week 1
Browns go 1-2, with a 37-13 win over New England mixed in with two losses.
Deshaun Watson named the Week 1 starter.
Browns open the season on the road at Jacksonville.
Cleveland has its Week 1 answer at quarterback — for now, at least.
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Sources: ClevelandBrowns.com, Dawgs By Nature, CBS Sports