Todd Monken On Deshaun Watson: ”i Anticipate Him Being Our Starter. That’s What He’s Been. He’s Been Our Starter."

BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns coach Todd Monken was asked on Monday right off he was ready to name his starting quarterback for Sunday’s game with the Texans. 

“I am not,” Monken said. 

It cause a little stir as if Monken was considering switching to Shedeur Sanders after his performance in the loss to the Saints. 

On Wednesday morning, the Browns announced on social media that Deshaun Watson would start against the Texans, his former team on Sunday at Huntington Bank Field.

Monken knew all along that Watson was going to be the starter when he was asked about the decision. 

“Well, ultimately the full body of work, the previous eight games that we had played, Deshaun played pretty well,” Monken said. “And that was my intention. I just wanted to make sure we’d run it by the staff before I said it publicly. I don’t even know why I have to say it publicly, because it’s really only our business in terms of who’s going to play and who’s not going to play. But he played well enough to earn to still be our starter.”

Monken was asked if the decision was long term or week-to-week.

“I don’t look at it either way,” he said. “I don’t look at it week-to-week, and I don’t look at his long term. We’re judged each week. I am. He is. Our team is. That isn’t surprising to anybody at where we’re at. I anticipate him being our starter. That’s what he’s been. He’s been our starter. 

“But we all control that, right?” He said. “How we scheme up, what we do offensively, how we play, how we play around him, how he plays. That’s a part of every player in the NFL, right? In terms of where you’re at. And like I said, I anticipate him being the starter, but that’s, again, we’re week-to-week. I had no intention of Deshaun not being our starter.”

Watson started the first eight games but was inactive for the Saints game after suffering a concussion a week earlier against the Steelers. Watson was cleared the day before the Saints game, but was made inactive and Sanders started his first game of the season. 

Monken said it was not a tough decision to make.

“Everything, you’re considering, but ultimately Deshaun’s done a really good job for us,” he said. “5-3 as a starter. He’s worked awfully hard to get back. There’s a high belief in that, and that’s nothing to take away from Shedeur, because I thought for 10 weeks of really not taking any reps, I thought he did a really good job. 

“And there’s a lot of room for improvement with both of them,” he said. “Everything we consider, anything that’s going to help us be better as a team, coaching wise, schematic wise, and then personnel wise, you’re always looking to upgrade your ability to move the ball, score points, stop the opponent, all of those things. But the intention was for Deshaun to start. It just, when you come in on that Monday, you haven’t really even met as a staff. You’ve just gone through the film; you’ve gone with ownership. And I just wanted to make sure we talked through as a staff, ‘hey, there’s the way we’re going forward.’ Great. That’s all it was, really was pretty simple.”

In the first eight games of the season, Watson led the Browns to a 5-3 record, including game-winning drives in all five wins in the fourth quarter. 

Watson has completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 1,806 yards, including seven touchdowns and three interceptions and a 91.2 QB rating. He’s been sacked a league-high 33 times.

Being a veteran and having cleared the concussion protocol, Monken was asked why Watson wasn’t made the backup quarterback or even the emergency third quarterback.

“The bottom line was didn’t practice, quarterback, had been through concussion, and we just felt like the best thing was at that moment without all the reps to go with Dillon (Gabriel) as our backup.”

Watson said he understood the reasoning behind holding him out.

“I didn't practice all week, so it's tough,” he said. “If I played a different position, maybe so, but being a quarterback and having those reps and those mental reps, especially being on the road, honestly, as a pro and as a vet, yeah, I felt like I can go, but Monk (Monken) and the front office’s decision to make sure I did everything I could to try to get back, but didn't didn't make it in time.”

Sunday’s game for Watson is against the Texans, the team that drafted him in the first round in 2017. He played with the Texans until the Browns acquired him in a trade in March 2022.

Watson said being his former team is in the past. 

“My former team, that stuff is in the past, 4 or 5 years ago, It was a big deal, but now, I think both sides have moved on and we're just both trying to find ways to win and continue to put ourselves in position for better and better.”

Watson said the focus is trying to get back to winning and get to 6-4 at the bye week. 

“It's a big opportunity for us to get back on the winning track, especially when you get in front of our home fans. That's the ultimate focus.”

Watson’s teammates are glad that he is able to be back on the field. 

“Obviously I got a lot of chemistry with him and things like that,” Harold Fannin said. “I’m happy that he’s back and get back to work.”

KC Concepcion agreed it was good to have Watson back. 

“I hate that he was the one to get the head injury,” he said. “But he’s back now and I’m ready to keep building off of where we left off at.”

EXTRA POINTS

Collins Back: DT Maliek Collins, who sat out the Saints game with an elbow injury, returned to practice on a limited basis. Collins was the only player to miss the game last week besides Watson. 

Four Miss Practice: The Browns had four players that did not practice to open the practice week, including three starters. WR Denzel Boston (toe), S Ronnie Hickman (concussion), C Elgton Jenkins (knee) and FB Mike Burton (calf).

Monken was asked about Boston.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a concern,” he said. “Obviously, I anticipate him being out today. He’s got a little toe issue, but we anticipate him being back tomorrow (Thursday).”

Monken said that Hickman had some concussion symptoms after the game and is in the concussion protocol.

“No, it happened after the game,” he said. “. He came in after the game, and he’s in concussion protocol.”

The Browns had seven players listed as limited on the injury report. 

 Browns Add Tight End: The Browns  signed TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden and P Wes Pahl to the practice squad. In addition, the team has released TE John FitzPatrick and DT Eric Johnson II from the practice squad.

 Mitchell-Paden (6-5, 257) is officially in his second season out of Florida Atlantic. Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Browns in 2022, Mitchell-Paden spent two seasons on the Browns’ practice squad (2022-23) and has appeared in eight career games with the Ravens (2025) and the Saints (2025). He has spent the majority of this season on the Texans’ practice squad. Mitchell-Paden will wear No. 80.

Pahl (6-4, 207) is a rookie out of Oklahoma State. Originally signed by the Browns as an undrafted free agent this offseason, Pahl spent the preseason and time earlier this season on Cleveland’s practice squad. He will wear No. 36