The Cleveland Browns are going with the veteran for their quarterback needs, at least for Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport broke the news on Monday that the Browns will have Deshaun Watson under center when Cleveland kicks off its campaign on Sept. 13 against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.
“Sources: The #Browns are naming Deshaun Watson as their starting QB for Week 1. The favorite going into camp. Now the starter, officially,” Rapoport posted on X.
The Browns’ decision to go with the former Clemson Tigers star signal-caller Watson comes on the heels of his head-turning reaction to what he deemed a “disrespectful” gesture by Browns fans during a preseason game on Saturday against the Buffalo Bills at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio, where he was booed by Cleveland supporters.
This offers Watson a chance to redeem himself amid his seemingly unpopular standing among NFL fans, including Browns faithful. It remains to be seen whether winning can actually change people’s minds about Watson, but he will first have to lead Cleveland to success to find out, and that’s going to be easier said than done.
Watson missed the entire 2025 season to recover from a torn right Achilles tendon injury he suffered in October 2024.
Signed by the Browns to a $230 million contract extension in 2022, Watson has appeared in only nine games in a Browns uniform thus far, accumulating 3,365 passing yards and 19 touchdowns against 12 interceptions.
