Cleveland Browns coach Todd Monken said Monday that he anticipates Deshaun Watson keeping his job as the starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay.Watson made his first start in 23 months in Sunday’s season opener at Jacksonville, and the Cleveland offense sustained nothing until the game was well out of reach. Watson threw an interception on the first series and the Browns had just five first downs in the first half, but Monken did not bench Watson, who threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass.Watson was named the starter on Aug. 24 after an offseason competition with Shedeur Sanders in which neither passer really stood out, and Watson’s first game action wasn’t exactly inspiring.Top Plays from Browns @ JaguarsMonken did not commit to anything after Sunday’s game, saying his focus was on the day’s events that led to the Jaguars’ 34-10 win. Monken said Sunday that putting the loss solely on Watson was “unfair” and that the Browns “could have called (the game) better, certainly could have played better around him.”So, the Browns’ bizarre triple-down on Watson in the final year of his contract continues. On Monday, Monken said his lean toward sticking with Watson was confirmed “when I looked at the tape” of the season opener. He said Watson did not play tentatively despite the early interception and the offense’s sloppy overall start.“I liked his week of practice last week, and I think he’s only gonna continue to get better,” Monken said.The Browns trailed 34-3 after three quarters in Jacksonville and got 145 of their 272 yards in the fourth. Watson threw a 46-yard pass to rookie Denzel Boston with 1:52 left for Cleveland’s only touchdown. Watson finished 16-of-22 for 205 yards with the touchdown and the interception. He was sacked five times.In seven starts in 2024, Watson did not surpass 200 passing yards in a game. He missed all of last season while recovering from a twice-torn right Achilles tendon. The first injury ended his 2024 season in Week 7.After Sunday’s season opener, Watson is 9-11 as Cleveland’s starter since the 2022 trade that saw the Browns send three first-round picks to Houston for the right to give Watson a fully guaranteed $230 million contract.The Browns replaced Baker Mayfield with Watson and traded Mayfield to Carolina in the summer of 2022. Mayfield last week signed a three-year extension with Tampa Bay and will play against the Watson-led Browns for the first time since the trade. Mayfield quarterbacked Carolina in the 2022 season opener while Watson was serving an 11-game suspension for multiple violations of the NFL’s personal conduct policy.Monken said he chose Watson to be the Browns’ starter because he wanted to play the quarterback who gave his team the best chance to move the ball and score points. That didn’t happen in Jacksonville, but Monken repeated Monday that he believes Watson gives them the best chance to win.Watson’s seven previous years of NFL experience gave him the leg up in the competition, and Monken believed that experience would help the Browns in their consecutive road games to start the season.But the offensive operation was less than smooth in Jacksonville, and after the home fans booed Watson during his only preseason action in Cleveland, Watson might be down to his last chance to show great improvement — and back up Monken’s beliefs — before the Browns play their home opener in Week 3 versus Carolina.Sep 14, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms