Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken has named quarterback Deshaun Watson the starter for Week 2 against the Buccaneers, despite a difficult performance in the team's season-opening 34-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Watson, celebrating his 31st birthday, completed 16 of 22 passes for 205 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in his first game since October 20, 2024.
Monken emphasized that the offensive struggles were a collective issue, not solely Watson's responsibility. "We got to play better around him, we got to call it better, and he’s got to play better," Monken told reporters on Monday. "It wasn’t just our inability to function consistently as an offense was a byproduct of ‘we’ coaching and playing."
Through the first three quarters of Sunday's game, Watson had completed only 11 passes for 100 yards, with the Jaguars holding a commanding 34-3 lead. Monken acknowledged the long layoff as a factor and expressed optimism for improvement in the upcoming game.
"It’s only been two weeks he’s gotten all the reps, and there were some really good things on film, some things that you can build on, and there were some others that, operationally, we got to get better at," Monken said. He pointed to specific plays, like a garbage-time touchdown pass, as examples of Watson's potential when executing concepts and having time to throw.
"There were a lot of things to build on," Monken added. "Was it perfect? Of course not. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have scored as few of points as we did. But I’d like to see how we can build on that. I liked his week of practice last week, and I think he’s only going to continue to get better."
