Deshaun Watson Named Cleveland Browns Starting Quarterback for Week 1

Quarterback Deshaun Watson will start for the Cleveland Browns in their 2026 NFL regular-season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to league sources reported by ESPN and NFL Network on August 24, 2026.

The 30-year-old veteran secured the starting job after competing with second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders throughout the offseason program and the team's first two preseason contests. The Browns open the regular season with consecutive road matchups against Jacksonville and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The decision follows Watson's performance in Saturday's preseason game, where he completed 5 of 12 passes for 35 yards and threw one interception across four second-half drives. Playing in his first home game at Huntington Bank Field since suffering a torn Achilles, Watson encountered vocal boos from fans in attendance.

"I think the whole world knows it has nothing to do about the performance," Watson said. "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."

Browns head coach Todd Monken addressed the reaction and clarified that the quarterback's postgame remarks would not impact his decision on the starting role.

"He emptied his heart a little bit, and I don't think that says who he is," Monken said. "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 missed the entire 2025 season following two surgical procedures to repair his torn right Achilles tendon. Since joining Cleveland via a March 2022 trade with the Houston Texans that cost three first-round draft picks and a $230 million contract, injuries and suspensions have restricted Watson to 19 appearances, resulting in a 9-10 record as the Browns' starter.