Todd Monken has made his position clear: Deshaun Watson is the Browns’ Week 1 starter, and he’s not backing off that choice just because it’s unpopular.
Cleveland’s decision to open the season with Watson drew plenty of criticism, but Monken is leaning into the gamble. He believes Watson gives the Browns the best shot to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars, and he’s putting that belief front and center.
That’s where the risk comes in. If Watson plays poorly and the Browns have to turn elsewhere, Monken’s first season as an NFL head coach could take a hit almost immediately.
The real damage wouldn’t come from Watson struggling by himself. It would come from what happens after that.
If Cleveland keeps Watson in the lineup while he’s struggling, fans are likely to turn on Monken fast. And if Watson gets benched and Shedeur Sanders steps in and clearly lifts the offense, the questions around Monken’s judgment would get loud in a hurry.
At that point, people would naturally wonder why the Browns started the season with the quarterback who wasn’t giving them the best chance. Former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski dealt with a similar situation last season, when Dillon Gabriel started over Sanders even though the offense had a different spark with Sanders on the field.
Monken could get some benefit of the doubt if people believe the Watson call came from above him. But that kind of explanation doesn’t exactly reassure fans, either. Nobody wants a head coach who can’t fully make the call himself.
So the path is pretty simple for Monken and Cleveland: Watson has to play well. If he doesn’t, the criticism won’t just land on the quarterback. It’ll land right on the coach who chose to ride with him.
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But the moves also left out a handful of players many fans expected to see kept close, including Luke Floriea, Gage Larvadain, Ahmani Marshall, Chris Edmonds and Kingsley Eguakun. For a roster that is still being shaped, those omissions are the kind that linger, because they hint at how the Browns are weighing upside, familiarity and immediate depth while leaving a few camp storylines unresolved. [Read more 🡒]