Browns coach confirms Deshaun Watson will start Week 2 despite loss

Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken announced on Monday that Deshaun Watson will start the team's Week 2 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the 34-10 loss in the season opener. Watson completed 16 of 22 passes for 205 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the defeat.

Monken said the film from the first game showed “some really good things … that you can build on,” while also noting areas that need improvement in red-zone and third-down concepts. He added that when Watson had time and understood the concepts, he “didn’t play tentative, that he let it rip,” referencing a late-game touchdown pass to Denzel Boston.

“I did think that when he had time, when he understood the concepts, he didn’t play tentative, that he let it rip,” Monken said.

The coach emphasized that the decision to keep Watson as the starting quarterback was not heavily debated. He attributed the offensive struggles to broader issues, stating, “Our inability to function consistently as an offense was a byproduct of we — coaching and playing.”

Monken also defended Watson’s downfield attempts, noting missed throws were often the result of play-calling rather than the quarterback’s hesitation. He highlighted two strong throws before halftime that put the Browns in a better position and dismissed the interception that ended the opening drive as not indicative of tentativeness.

“I would say that some of those weren’t called … there were times where we were trying to push the ball down the field and he did have a missed throw once we moved the pocket one time,” Monken explained.

Looking ahead, Monken said the team will focus on improving execution and route calling, hoping to see better results when they face the Buccaneers in Tampa on Sunday.