Browns go back to Deshaun Watson over Shedeur Sanders

Monken left the door open Monday, so Cleveland spent about 48 hours arguing about it. Wednesday morning, it got shut.

Mary Kay Cabot

@MaryKayCabot

Breaking: Deshaun Watson will start Sunday vs. the #Texans over Shedeur Sanders: t.co/nh2hQcXOES

Here's how they got here. Watson took a helmet-to-helmet hit from Steelers safety Jaquan Brisker on November 1. He finished that game, then reported symptoms and went into the concussion protocol on November 3. That put Sanders under center against the Saints, and he made it interesting: 19-of-31 for 297 yards and 2 touchdowns. Most of that came at the end, when he went 10-of-15 for 187 yards and both scores over the final 5:33 and overtime. Cleveland still lost 23-22 in OT, but it was the kind of finish that makes a fanbase start asking questions.

Watson says he never wondered about any of it. He told reporters he had no doubt he'd be the guy against Houston, and he didn't know why Monken left the possibility open earlier in the week.

Mary Kay Cabot

@MaryKayCabot

#Browns Deshaun Watson said he never had a doubt he’d be starting vs. the #Texans on Sunday ahead of Shedeur Sanders: t.co/mi23L6g03m

To be fair to Watson, he's had a solid year. He's 163-of-249 for 1,806 yards with 7 touchdowns, 3 interceptions and a 91.2 rating, and he leads the league in passer rating in the final 2 minutes of halves. The Browns are 5-4 and holding the No. 8 spot in the AFC. Monken didn't sound like a coach who was ever close to making a change.

Mary Kay Cabot

@MaryKayCabot

#Browns Todd Monken on Deshaun Watson: "I anticipate him being our starter. He's been our starter. We're judged each week. I am. He is. I have no intention of Deshaun Watson not being out starter."

He also explained Monday's non-answer: the intention was always for Deshaun to start, he just wanted to run it by his staff first. Then he got asked about the clip that wouldn't go away. During the Saints broadcast, CBS aired Monken laughing while he told a story about asking Sanders what he wanted in the opening script, and Sanders suggesting plays that weren't in the Browns' playbook. The internet ran with it as some kind of turning point in the QB room. Monken's take: it's "hilarious" how far it went.

Mary Kay Cabot

@MaryKayCabot

#Browns Todd Monken said “it’s hilarious” that it’s gone this far, the CBS clip that Shedeur Sanders suggested plays for the opening script that weren’t in the playbook: t.co/rbEGZ7EZD2

So it's Watson vs. the team that traded him to Cleveland in 2022, the deal that came with an 11-game suspension before his Browns debut, which also came against Houston. Monken was clear that everyone gets judged week to week, and that includes him. Watson plays well and this was a 1-game detour. If he struggles while Sanders' late surge vs. the Saints is still fresh in everyone's memory, the questions start again Monday.