The Cleveland Browns' quarterback competition took a dramatic turn Saturday night, as Shedeur Sanders outplayed Deshaun Watson in a 31-7 preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills, and Watson used his postgame press conference to blast Cleveland fans for booing him. Sanders completed 9 of 11 passes for 74 yards and a touchdown before an interception, while Watson, who entered in the third quarter, went 5 of 12 for 35 yards with an interception of his own. The lopsided performance gap, paired with Watson's raw comments about the fanbase, has thrown head coach Todd Monken's looming decision into fresh uncertainty.
According to Cleveland.com, columnist Mary Kay Cabot said the Browns may have damaged their own quarterback competition, questioning what the team actually gained by putting Watson into the game at all. Cabot also noted that Monken had no clear playbook for handling a presumptive starter who lacks a real relationship with Cleveland's fanbase. Colleague Dan Labbe, writing for the same outlet, said Watson's press conference disrupted what had been two months of a closely watched quarterback battle that had appeared to be trending toward Watson as the starter.
Watson did not hold back when addressing the boos that rained down on him at Fox Sports confirmed took place at Huntington Bank Field, which has carried that name since a 20-year naming rights deal between the Browns and Huntington Bancshares took effect in August 2024. Watson called the reaction “a disrespectful thing” and insisted it was personal, telling reporters, per WKYC, “the same fan base, they cheered when I got hurt” — a reference to the Achilles rupture he suffered during an Oct. 20, 2024 home loss to Cincinnati.
Watson's Fatalistic Outlook
The comments revealed how raw the relationship between Watson and the Cleveland faithful remains, even as he enters the final year of his contract. Speaking to NBC Sports, Watson said, “I had different thoughts on how it was going to be, but it is what it is… Sometimes the tables turn, and I'm patient enough because I'm a child of God to wait for that time to change.” Cleveland.com's reporting suggests the outburst raised fresh questions about Watson's mental composure under pressure as a starter in this market, especially after he admitted the hostile home crowd was getting inside his head during the game.
Watson's struggles were not entirely his own doing, as the same Cleveland.com report noted he was working behind a backup offensive line during his third-quarter stint. Still, the eye test favored Sanders, who moved the ball efficiently and showed chemistry with his returning pass catchers. Clevbeland.com's coverage framed it plainly: both quarterbacks played roughly as expected of their situations, with Sanders playing well and Watson stumbling, and Watson's shaky night is exactly the kind of stumble Sanders needed to seize control of the competition.
Monken's Looming Decision
ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler reported, as relayed by Sportskeeda, that Monken planned to review game tape with his staff and could inform both quarterbacks of his decision as early as today. Cleveland.com's podcast, Orange and Brown Talk, is set to cover the expected Monken press conference and the looming announcement in detail. Whatever Monken decides, it will say something about how the first-year head coach — hired in January to replace Kevin Stefanski after a 5-12 season, following stints as offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens and previously Cleveland itself — weighs mental toughness in a starter, a philosophy he has reportedly built his coaching approach around.
The financial backdrop only raises the stakes further. Cleveland acquired Watson from the Houston Texans in March 2022 for three first-round draft picks and signed him to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract, a deal structure that drew scrutiny across the league. Watson missed the entire 2025 season after a second rupture of his right Achilles tendon in January 2025, undergoing two surgeries within three months, and Hoodline previously reported the team collected roughly $88.8 million in salary-cap credits from injury insurance tied to his absence, even as his $46 million base salary looms for 2026.
Sanders' Rapid Rise
Sanders, meanwhile, arrived in Cleveland as a fifth-round pick, 144th overall, in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Colorado and started seven games as a rookie last season after an injury to fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel opened the door. If Monken names him the starter now, Cleveland.com's Shedeur Sanders reporting suggests it would accelerate the Browns' broader quarterback timeline heading into the regular season. For now, Sanders remains squarely in the competition, and if Watson is named the starter instead, he would take the field at Huntington Bank Field before a fanbase that, by his own account, he is still trying to win back.
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