The Cleveland Browns entered the 2026 season with three quarterbacks on their roster, and first-year head coach Todd Monken said he would start the player he believed gave the team the best chance to win. Deshaun Watson opened the season as the starter, and Cleveland’s record through the first eight games supported the decision: the Browns had won five games.
That plan was interrupted in Week 8, when Watson suffered a concussion during Cleveland’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He missed the following week, leaving Shedeur Sanders to start against the New Orleans Saints. Although the Browns lost 23–22 in overtime, Sanders delivered an impressive performance, creating questions about who would start the team’s Week 10 home game against the Houston Texans.
Watson has since cleared concussion protocol, and Monken is putting him back under center. Former Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas supports the decision, arguing that it reflects the team’s focus on winning now rather than evaluating its options for the future.
“The Browns just announced that they’re starting Deshaun Watson on Sunday, and that’s a right call,” Thomas said in an Instagram post. “But it’s got nothing to do with who’s the better quarterback long term. It’s about what the decision tells everybody in that locker room. Right now, Cleveland’s 5-4. They’re one spot out of the playoffs. Watson’s got five game-winning drives so far this season.”
Thomas acknowledged that Sanders had earned an opportunity after his outing against New Orleans. The second-year quarterback completed 19 of 31 passes for 297 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also led the Browns into overtime and gave the team a chance to win.
“There’s no doubt about it,” Thomas said of Sanders earning a look. “297 yards last week throwing, two touchdowns, no picks. Put him into overtime, gave him a chance to win. That was real. But you don’t audition for next year when this year is still on the table.”
Thomas’s point is that, with Cleveland still in the playoff picture, the decision should be guided by the team’s immediate goals. Starting Watson, he said, sends a consistent message to the locker room that the Browns are trying to win this season. He urged Monken to maintain that message as the team prepares to face Houston.
## Cleveland’s playoff hopes remain alive
The Browns have had a demanding first half of the season. They are 5-4 and have played six of their first nine games on the road. After a three-week stretch away from Cleveland, the team is returning home to face the Texans.
Cleveland beat the Tennessee Titans 27–24 in Week 7, then lost its next two games. The Browns fell 27–6 to Pittsburgh in Week 8, before Sanders led the offense against New Orleans in Week 9. The Saints prevailed 23–22 in overtime.
The upcoming run gives Cleveland a chance to make progress at home. The Browns have four consecutive home games, with a Week 11 bye in between, as they try to strengthen their position in the playoff race. Their 5-4 record leaves the team one spot outside the playoffs, according to Thomas, and the schedule gives them an opportunity to keep competing for a postseason place.
Watson’s production is a central part of the case for returning to him as the starter. In the first eight games, he completed 65.5% of his passes for 1,806 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions. He also led Cleveland to five wins, with a fourth-quarter game-winning drive in each one.
That achievement placed Watson in a notable group. Since the 1970 merger, he has been the third quarterback, alongside Troy Aikman and Matthew Stafford, to record a game-winning drive in each of his team’s first five victories in a season.
Sanders’s performance against the Saints, meanwhile, drew praise from Monken. The coach said he was proud of the quarterback’s preparation and ability to compete despite limited time working with the starters. Sanders had not taken first-team snaps in 10 weeks, Monken said, and had only a short period to prepare for the starting role.
“He wasn’t perfect. I wasn’t perfect,” Monken said. “For a guy that really hasn’t taken snaps with the ones in 10 weeks … to come in there and continue to battle, I am really, really proud of him.”
Sanders gave Cleveland an effective performance in a difficult situation, but Monken has chosen Watson for the Texans game now that the veteran is available again. With the Browns still within reach of a playoff spot, the decision reflects the team’s stated priority: competing to win in 2026.
