BEREA, Ohio -- Cleveland Browns coach Todd Monken said he anticipates naming a starting quarterback between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders on Monday.
Monken also said postgame comments from Watson on Saturday, in which the veteran quarterback said boos from the home crowd were "disrespectful," won't factor into his decision.
"He emptied his heart a little bit, and I don't think that says who he is," Monken said Sunday. "I see the competitor in him. I see the every-day work he puts in, and he wants to be back. He wants to get back to where he was as best he can, and that's hard. And again, I think the moment just got him after the game, and it can get all of us."
Watson completed 5 of 12 passes for 35 yards and an interception during four second-half drives in Cleveland's 31-7 preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills. He was booed constantly in his first home game since tearing his right Achilles tendon in October 2024, an injury for which he underwent two surgeries and missed all of the 2025 season.
"The whole world knows it has nothing to do about the performance," Watson said after the game. "It's a little bit [more] personal than that. So I think it's a disrespectful thing. So yeah, I mean, I'm going to keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally on how I feel about that. And yeah, just move on.
"Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles. And that same fanbase, they cheered when I got hurt," Watson later said. "So what does that have to do with anything about performance? When a person gets hurt, especially for your own city, and they cheer?"
Watson and Sanders have been splitting first-team reps in practice since the offseason workout program and throughout training camp. Watson started the first half of Cleveland's preseason opener on the road against the Chicago Bears, and Sanders started the first half of the team's second preseason game against the Bills.
"Even with yesterday, we have to take in the full body of work," Monken said. "That's one opportunity that they had on the field, both of them, just like the week before, an opportunity. Just like the practices against the Bills were an opportunity to showcase their ability and others' ability and where they're at this point, where we're at as an offense.
"I look at it: What has been the full body of work? And then ultimately who gives us the best chance to win Week 1?"
"I'm not going to let one half of football, one frustrating moment, dictate what our decision is going to be that we think is in the best interest of the Browns moving forward and especially Week 1," the coach added.
Watson has been a polarizing figure in Cleveland since the Browns traded three first-round picks to the Houston Texans to acquire him in March 2022 and gave him a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions.
Two Texas grand juries declined to pursue criminal charges against Watson a week before his trade to Cleveland, but he served an 11-game suspension to begin his tenure with the Browns. He also paid a $5 million fine and completed a treatment program after the NFL and NFL Players Association reached a settlement in August 2022 on his disciplinary matter.
Since joining the Browns, Watson has failed to recapture the Pro Bowl form he showcased in Houston, posting a 33.1 QBR that would rank last if he had enough starts to qualify. The suspension and injuries have limited him to 19 games in his four years with Cleveland.
Watson missed the final nine games of the 2023 season, including Cleveland's wild-card loss to the Texans, after undergoing surgery on his throwing shoulder.
He also made reference to playing in "17 away games" if he is named the starter, but Monken said he was not concerned about how the team would perform at home if Watson is the starter.
"What I'm concerned about is us playing well as a team and on offense," Monken said. "Because when you play well, none of the other stuff matters. Just play well. Play well, coach well, score points, win games, and none of that will even matter."