The Cleveland Browns plan to start quarterback Deshaun Watson in Week 10 against the Houston Texans, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler on Monday.
Asked Monday about this week's starting quarterback, coach Todd Monken said he wasn't ready to announce his decision.
"I really haven't thought through it other than getting through this morning's tape. We just got done meeting with the guys, they'll flush the game and then we'll have a chance to meet offensively more extensively a little bit later today," he said.
Shedeur Sanders started Sunday's 23-22 overtime loss in New Orleans to the Saints and completed 19 of 31 passes for 297 yards and two touchdown passes. Watson didn't clear concussion protocol until Saturday and was inactive for Sunday's game.
"I'm awfully proud of him," Monken said Monday when asked about Sanders. "It's been 10 weeks since he had reps with the ones. I think it showed up the reps that we gave him in camp, but that's not like over the last couple of months. I thought he battled, I though he showed composure in the pocket, getting to his checkdowns at times. He made plays with his feet and escaping.
"... So there was a lot there to like, certainly a lot to clean up. And that would be expected from a player that hasn't really had three days with the ones. And I thought there was a lot to build on."
Watson led the Browns to a 5-3 record before Sunday's game, in large part because of an NFL-high five winning drives but entered Week 9 with a 40.9 QBR that ranks 28th out of 30 qualifying quarterbacks. Sanders registered a 39 QBR against the Saints, his second-highest mark in a game in his career.
After a slow start, Sanders heated up in the second half Sunday with a 60-yard completion to rookie wide receiver Denzel Boston and then a 64-yard touchdown pass to fellow rookie wide receiver KC Concepcion that gave Cleveland a 13-9 lead late in the fourth quarter. Sanders' two 60-yard throws doubled the amount Watson had in his first eight games.
Sanders then led the Browns on a late field goal drive to send the game to overtime and connected with Harold Fannin Jr. on a 39-yard touchdown pass late in the extra period but his last-ditch pass on a 2-point try to win the game fell incomplete.
ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi contributed to this report.