QB · CLE · 30 yrs · exp 9 · Clemson
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Latest: Sep 7, 2026 · 1,698
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Deshaun Watson will be starting at quarterback for the Browns in Week 1, but head coach Todd Monken left the door open to the possibility that another quarterback could also see playing time against the Jaguars
Deshaun Watson will be starting at quarterback for the Browns in Week 1, but head coach Todd Monken left the door open to the possibility that another quarterback could also see playing time against the Jaguars. Rookie Taylen Green made the 53-man roster and Monken was asked at a Monday press conference if the team could possibly have a package of plays in the playbook to take advantage of the sixth-round pick’s athleticism. “There could be a package where we have him,” Monken said. Monken went on to stress that it is a possibility rather than something the team is actively planning to have in place and that “three’s a lot” when asked about having Green active alongside Watson and backup Shedeur Sanders. The Jaguars probably won’t be losing much sleep about that possibility, but it will be something to watch out for if Green avoids the inactive list on Sunday afternoon
Browns appoint Watson and teammates as weekly captains for season opener
Browns QB Deshaun Watson named a Week 1 captain by coach Todd Monken
Training camp opened with four, and potentially five, NFL quarterback competitions. In the end, all five jobs went to the older of the two primary contenders. The first decision came in Minnesota, where Kyler Murray prevailed over 2024 top-10 selection J.J. McCarthy in the first competition to be resolved, before the first preseason game. The backup job there also has apparently gone to the older player, with Carson Wentz seemingly leapfrogging McCarthy. (The Vikings have yet to release their Week 1 depth chart.) Minnesota will enter the season with three former high first-round picks in their quarterback room. Murray was No. 1 overall in 2019, and Wentz was the second overall pick in 2016. The next decision was made by the Browns, where Deshaun Watson was made the starter (at least for Week 1 and likely Week 2) two weeks ago today, over 2025 fifth-rounder Shedeur Sanders. Watson was the 12th overall pick in 2017. Last week, the Raiders finally declared that Kirk Cousins, who entered the league as a fourth-round pick in 2012, would start Week 1 over Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in 2026. And now the Falcons have gone with Tua Tagovailoa, pick No. 5 in 2020, over Michael Penix Jr., the eighth overall selection in 2024. That one feels even more tenuous than Watson in Cleveland; the Falcons were hoping Penix would be ready to go. Ultimately, they decided he wasn’t — and Tua got the nod over Cooper Rush (who’s technically older than Tua). The fifth competition never became one, because Jacoby Brissett got a new deal done before a hold in gave Gardner Minshew or Carson Beck a chance to learn the new offense and potentially supplant Brissett. In many situations, winning the starting job to start the season means securing the privilege of eventually being benched. That’s a very real possibility for Watson, Cousins, and Tagovailoa. The safest of them all is Murray, who was likely signed to be the starter — and who is playing for a team that wants to have the same quarterback in place for all 17 regular-season games
If the Cleveland Browns want to make the playoffs, how many yards will Deshaun Watson and/or Shedeur Sanders need?
Browns assistant general manager Catherine Hickman faced backlash for wearing a sweater that read "Los Angeles made me do it" shortly after the team traded star player Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams. Fans were already upset about the trade and the decision to start Deshaun Watson, and Hickman's sweater was seen as an insensitive reminder of Garrett's departure. Garrett was a franchise icon and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year
Browns name Watson over Sanders, coach admits he hasn't studied his tape
Until 2024, trying to predict NFL Comeback Player of the Year was a total crapshoot because there really were no criteria for those Associated Press voters. But starting with that '24 season, the criteria was changed to give the award to a player who returned from "illness, physical injury, or other circumstances that led him to miss playing time the previous season." So, long story short, it could no longer go to a guy who was just terrible one year (if healthy) and good the next. I took a look Monday at updated NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year betting trends from BetMGM and today will do the same for Comeback Player of the Year with the season kicking off one week from tonight. Much like for NFL MVP, CPOY has become a quarterback award, with a signal-caller having won seven straight seasons until that run ended in 2025 with 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey taking it home. Sign up to wager on NFL using the BetMGM bonus code CBSSPORTS to get up to $1,500 in bonus bets: Fans can stay up to date with information from our NFL news page, and bettors should also look for picks from the SportsLine Projection Model and our experts during the 2026 NFL season. McCaffrey was the first tailback winner since the Cardinals ' Garrison Hearst in 2001. Hard to argue against McCaffrey, though. He was limited to just four games in 2024 but played all 17 last year and totaled better than 2,100 yards from scrimmage and 17 TDs. Lions pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson was second in the 2025 voting and Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott third. Two players have won this award twice in quarterbacks Chad Pennington and Joe Burrow , but needless to say McCaffrey won't be winning again this year. He isn't even a betting option at BetMGM. Nor should he be. But San Francisco has three Pro Bowl-caliber players returning from major 2025 injuries who are close to the top of the board in pass-rusher Nick Bosa (+2000), linebacker Fred Warner (+3000) and tight end George Kittle (+3000). Running backs have never won this in back-to-back years and the one with the shortest odds is the Giants ' back-flipping Cam Skattebo at +3500. A defensive player hasn't won since Chiefs safety Eric Berry in 2015, and newly unretired Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald is a +800 fourth-favorite. Considering the future Hall of Famer hasn't played since 2023, he'd be my choice as it would be a story right out of Hollywood. Wager on the NFL with the latest FanDuel promo code and get up to $350 in bonus bets: But the favorites are three quarterbacks: Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes (+185), Washington's Jayden Daniels (+400) and Minnesota's Kyler Murray (+550). The book is quite exposed on Mahomes, as he leads in handle (46.2%) and tickets sold (18.1%) on this prop. Comeback Player of the Year is about the only thing Mahomes hasn't won yet in the NFL, but he "somewhat" qualifies coming off a torn ACL and LCL that limited him to 14 games last year. He will be ready for the season opener vs. Denver. Since he was cleared in late July to participate in all football activities, Mahomes has not missed any practices but didn't play in the preseason. If you were wondering, Tom Brady won Comeback Player of the Year in 2009 after suffering a major knee injury of his own in the 2008 opener and missing the rest of that season. So the obvious GOAT parallels are there, but Brady missed basically a full campaign , while Mahomes missed three games. Berry has been Kansas City's only winner since this award returned in 1998. Murray is second in tickets (12.0%) and handle (9.7%) at BetMGM, and he has the double-whammy of coming back from injury and starting over with a new team, as Murray has won the Vikings ' starting job over former first round pick J.J. McCarthy . Murray probably has more offensive talent around him than Mahomes does. Bet futures and more NFL picks at DraftKings, where new users get $200 in bonus bets after they spend $5+: The player the book is most exposed on is another ve [... truncated ...]
Browns coach Todd Monken had a big decision to make at quarterback. In settling on Deshaun Watson over Shedeur Sanders, Monken didn’t spend much time looking at Watson’s past performances. “I really, to be honest, haven’t looked at it,” Monken told reporters regarding whether he studied Watson’s film from past seasons. “To be honest, only from afar. When people say, ‘You had to look at it,’ well, not really. I looked at it from afar when I was down the road, right? In crossover film or something, but I try to take everything at face value. What I see, right? “It doesn’t matter what the player is, I think we owe that to our players, guys that are on the roster. I want to go into it thinking every player we have is elite, and all they have to do is prove me right. That’s all they have to do. That’s what I’m going to go into it — they’re on an NFL roster, I expect them to play well, and I just want them to prove me right. And so I really haven’t really looked at that, different staff, different system. We’ll let it play out. We’ll see where it goes starting a week from now.” Regardless of whether Monken did or didn’t watch much Watson film, his performances from his time with the Texans are ancient history. It was six years ago. And while there’s some value in looking for plays that he has run well in the past, the more pragmatic approach would be to ignore Watson’s play from 2017 through 2020 and focus on things that will work now, with the 30-year-old version of Deshaun Watson
Browns coach Todd Monken had a big decision to make at quarterback
Todd Monken not focusing on the past when it comes to his battered and broken starting quarterback
Despite fan booing and displeasure directed at Deshaun Watson, Browns head coach Todd Monken stated he is "absolutely not" bothered by the backlash, emphasizing that his decision to name Watson QB1 is based solely on what he believes is best for the team's performance throughout the season, particularly in creating explosive plays
Todd Monken unphased by fan reaction to Deshaun Watson's QB1 status
Browns lock Watson over Shedeur Sanders as starter, but question remains if Watson can perform at average NFL level
Sunday’s report that quarterback Dillon Gabriel would make the 53-man roster in Cleveland was incorrect, but he has not been waived by the Browns. The Browns announced that Gabriel has been placed on injured reserve on Sunday. A back injury is cited as the reason for the move, although there was no sign of an issue when Gabriel went 12-of-15 for 186 yards and three touchdowns in the preseason finale. Deshaun Watson will start at quarterback for the Browns in Week 1. Shedeur Sanders and rookie Taylen Green are also on the 53-man roster with Gabriel able to return after four games. The Browns also announced tight end Joe Royer will remain on the non-football injury list. He will also have to miss at least four games. The Browns released cornerback Myles Bryant, defensive tackle Sam Kamara, and cornerback D’Angelo Ross. They waived defensive tackles Travis Bell, Elijah Chatman, and Tyreak Sapp; running backs Davon Booth and Ahmani Marshall; offensive linemen Kinsley Eguakun and K.T. Leveston; defensive ends Logan Fano and Khordae Sydnor; wide receivers Luke Floriea, Gage Larvadain, and Kole Wilson; linebackers Edefuan Ulofoshio and Nathaniel Watson; punter Wes Pahl; and safety Zion Washington
The Cleveland Browns plan to keep four quarterbacks on their initial 53-man roster, including rookie Taylen Green, second-year player Dillon Gabriel, Deshaun Watson, and Shedeur Sanders. Green, a developmental prospect, showed potential in the preseason with his rushing ability
Ravens' defense impresses in preseason, while Browns' quarterback battle sparks controversy
The NFL never shies away from loading up the opening week with must-see matchups, and the Week 1 NFL schedule, which begins in two weeks, is no different. From divisional battles like Chiefs vs. Broncos (+2.5) and Cowboys vs. Giants (+2.5) to Aaron Rodgers' last ride in Steelers vs. Falcons (+3), you have a bevy of intriguing options to place Week 1 NFL bets on. Meanwhile, Dolphins vs. Raiders is a matchup that may not garner as much interest as the aforementioned, but it still carries intrigue for Week 1 NFL picks as the only opening game guaranteed to have two new starters under center. Bet NFL games at DraftKings. Claim their new user offer here : Miami's Malik Willis is expected to duel with Kirk Cousins, while No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza is expected to begin the 2026 NFL season as the backup. Vegas is a 3.5-point favorite, per the latest Week 1 NFL odds, as it's one of a dozen games with an NFL spread under 4 points. All of the updated Week 1 NFL lines are listed below, and SportsLine's advanced computer model has all the NFL betting advice and NFL predictions you need to make the best Week 1 NFL picks now . The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up well over $7,000 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception. The model enters the 2026 NFL season on a 53-37 run on top-rated picks dating back to 2024. Anybody following its NFL betting picks at sportsbooks and on betting sites could have seen strong returns. Now, it has turned its attention to the latest Week 1 NFL odds and NFL betting lines and locked in betting picks for every NFL matchup. Head here to see every pick . We can tell you one of the model's strongest Week 1 NFL picks is that the Jaguars (-7.5, 40.5) cover at home versus Cleveland in a Sunday 1 p.m. ET kickoff. The model has the Jags prevailing versus the spread nearly 60% of the time, continuing the success they had last year with a league-best 12-5 ATS mark in the regular season. Jacksonville was even more proficient versus the line at home, covering in 78% of games, also the best record in the NFL, while Cleveland was 2-6 ATS on the road, which was the second-worst mark in the NFL. The Jags should have a big QB edge in this matchup, as Trevor Lawrence is forecasted for over 200 yards and a pair of scores versus a defense which no longer has Myles Garrett, while Deshaun Watson is projected to have just 141 yards in his return. In addition to Jacksonville covering, SportsLine's model also has the Over hitting in 63% of simulations. See which other teams to pick here . New to sports trading? Visit our Kalshi promo code review to see their latest offers and get started. Claim the Kalshi signup offer here now : Another one of its Week 1 NFL predictions: the Eagles (-4.5, 46.5) cover versus the Commanders on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET. Philadelphia has won eight of its last nine versus Washington in games that Jalen Hurts has started and finished. He should have continued production versus Washington's defense which ranked dead last in yards allowed last year and is in transition, with up to eight new starters and moving from a 4-3 base to a 3-4. Add in that Jayden Daniels may use his legs less to avoid the injuries he suffered in 2025, and the fact that Commanders LT Laremy Tunsil (triceps) is out, and Philly is forecasted to cover the spread in nearly 60% of simulations in an A-rated pick. See which other teams to pick here . The model has also made the call on who wins and covers in every other game on the Week 1 NFL schedule and just revealed multiple underdogs that outright win, potentially giving you a huge payday. You can only get every pick for every game at SportsLine . So what Week 1 NFL picks can you make with confidence, and which underdogs should you lock in now? Check out the latest NFL odds below, then visit SportsLine to see which teams win and cover the spread, all from a proven computer model that has returned well over $7,000 , and find out. Get Week 1 [... truncated ...]
Browns head coach Todd Monken likes what he saw from Dillon Gabriel and Taylen Green in the preseason, but the team has to cut players. The decision is between keeping Gabriel or Green
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