The Browns are going back to Deshaun Watson.
After Shedeur Sanders gave Cleveland a spark in last week’s overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints, the team is reportedly returning Watson to the starting job for Sunday’s matchup with the Houston Texans, according to Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot and league sources.
Watson missed the Saints game while in the concussion protocol, and Sanders stepped in and nearly pulled off the comeback. He finished 19 of 31 for 297 yards, threw two touchdowns, and did it without an interception. He also accounted for the Browns’ overtime touchdown when he connected with Harold Fannin Jr., though Cleveland couldn’t finish the job after a failed two-point conversion on a pass to Denzel Boston.
The Browns lost that game 23-22, but Sanders still drew praise from head coach Todd Monken afterward. Monken said he was “awfully proud” of him and that “there was a lot to build on.”
“It’s been 10 weeks since he had reps with the ones. I thought he battled, I thought he showed composure in the pocket, getting to his checkdowns at times.
He made plays with his feet and escaping,” Monken said after the game, per Cleveland.com. “He made the scramble play to Jerry [Jeudy].
He made a big third-down conversion early, and he made one right there in four-minute, right before the holding call that gave us a first down. So that’s what you wanted to see.”
Now that Watson has cleared concussion protocol, the Browns are sticking with the veteran for the Texans game. It’s a notable turn for Watson, who spent the first five seasons of his NFL career in Houston and had one of his best statistical years there in 2020, along with several playoff appearances.
This season, Watson has thrown for 1,806 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions in eight starts, helping Cleveland to a 5-3 record in those games. He’ll get his next shot against the team he once led, with Houston coming in at 3-5 after beating the still-winless Los Angeles Chargers.
Cleveland and Houston meet Sunday, Nov. 15, at 1 p.m. ET.
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