NFL fans absolutely rip Deshaun Watson after brutal first-drive interception as Browns QB1
1. Cleveland stuck with Watson as QB1, but his opening drives against Jacksonville quickly reopened the competition
Deshaun Watson spent 693 days waiting to play another NFL regular-season game.
His return lasted only a few snaps before the Cleveland Browns were dealing with the same uncomfortable question that followed them throughout the offseason. Did they choose the right starting quarterback?
Watson ’s first possession against the Jacksonville Jaguars began with two completions before unraveling on his third pass attempt.
Linebacker Foyesade Oluokun anticipated the throw over the middle, stepped underneath it and intercepted Watson , giving Jacksonville an early opportunity it converted into a touchdown. Things hardly improved from there.
Watson nearly threw another interception on the following possession when Oluokun dropped a wayward pass under pressure. Two drives later, Watson was sacked and fumbled, although Cleveland recovered the ball.
By halftime, Jacksonville had built a 24-0 advantage, and calls for second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders were already flooding social media.
“I’ve already seen enough Deshaun Watson,” one fan wrote. “Rip the band aid off and play Shedeur Sanders.” Another posted: “No way he should see Game 2. Bring in Shedeur Sanders NOW.”
The reaction was intensified by everything surrounding Watson ’s return. He hadn't played since 2024 after suffering a torn Achilles and later re-tearing it during rehabilitation.
Despite the lengthy absence and an uneven preseason, head coach Todd Monken chose Watson over Sanders to open 2026.
Watson ’s Cleveland tenure has also remained controversial since the Browns acquired him from Houston in 2022 and gave him a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract.
He served an 11-game NFL suspension and paid a $5 million fine in 2022 after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual misconduct during massage sessions.
Watson denied wrongdoing in the civil allegations, many of which were later settled without admissions of liability. His performances on the field have provided little relief from that scrutiny.
Monken under pressure earlier than expected
Watson had already been booed during the preseason and later described some of the reaction from Cleveland supporters as “a little bit personal.”
Monken made clear that fan sentiment had no influence on his Week 1 decision.
“Ultimately the fans want us to win and put a good product on the field,” Monken said. “That’s our job as coaches. Ultimately they don’t decide who plays. I mean, who would I be if I let someone outside of the building decide who plays?”
Watson himself sounded composed shortly before kickoff.
“I feel great. I’m calm, I’m poised, I’m excited,” Watson told CBS Sports. “All the hard work I’ve put in put me in this position today.”
His first few possessions delivered the opposite impression. A single game doesn't have to determine Cleveland’s quarterback hierarchy, particularly after Watson ’s extended absence.
Yet with Sanders already a popular alternative and the Browns needing results, patience was never going to be unlimited. Watson needed his comeback to quiet the debate. Instead, five plays into the season, it became louder than ever.
