Even before Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson got in front of reporters on Wednesday afternoon at the team facility in Berea, things were already wobbly–at best–for the beleaguered NFL quarterback and his relationship with a fan base that has tired of him over five mostly disastrous seasons. Watson was named the starter after a lengthy competition this offseason with Shedeur Sanders, who finished the last seven games of 2025 as the team’s QB1. It was an unpopular decision, and the way Watson played in the Browns’ 34-10 loss to the Jaguars in Week 1 has not changed any minds.
In fact, Dan Graziano of ESPN wrote this week–before Watson’s presser– that, “It’s hard for me to be surprised when someone who insists on starting Watson at quarterback in 2026 doesn’t have success. … Browns aren’t going anywhere with Watson. Until they admit that and make a change, I don’t see how things can improve. Just horrendous vibes all the way around.”
Deshaun Watson Blames Browns Media
Ah, and then Wednesday happened, and Watson again roiled the waters in and around the Browns with a tone-deaf complaint suggesting his struggles were related to media coverage of him. That comes a month after, in the second game of the preseason against Buffalo, Watson complained about fans booing him at home, and declared he was unsure if he was mentally strong enough to cope with it.
Said Watson, when asked about whether he needs to play well to “build up some good will”: “No, I think, personally, I think all that is for the media. I think the media has this expectation that I’m supposed to throw 400 yards, five touchdowns every week. So, until that happens, I guess it’s going to be the same situation. So again, my job is to make sure I’m operating well so we can try to get a win and keep moving forward from there.”
Browns QB Choice May Not ‘last Much Longer’
The backlash for Watson from the Browns media has been swift.
Longtime beat writer Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, speaking on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland, said, “When he steps up to the microphone he has got to be way, way , way more careful than he has been. He already did so much damage after the Bills game and then he did not help himself yesterday with what he said. If going after fans or media is coming out of your mouth, you just have to stop yourself and say, ‘That’s not the place I am in right now, I can’t be doing this sort of thing.’ …
“I just don’t know how this is going to go or if this is going to last much longer.”
Deshaun Watson ‘Never Takes Responsibility’
On Twitter/X, 92.3’s beat writer, Daryl Ruiter went back to Watson’s legal troubles for sexual misconduct when he first joined the Browns in 2022.
Ruiter wrote: “When he was under investigation for predatory behavior, agreed to a disciplinary settlement with #NFL, then settled 25+ lawsuits, he never did anything wrong. 5 years later it’s the fans fault. Now it’s the media’s fault. Deshaun Watson never takes responsibility, & that’s his problem.”
Tony Rizzo, morning host for ESPN Cleveland, said Watson is making it hard for the Browns to keep him in the starter’s role: “I want Todd Monken and the Browns to understand that you can’t come home, you can’t start him a week from Sunday.”
And from Kelvin Washington on Fox Sports Radio: “Every time he has a microphone in his face he is blaming somebody else… YOU haven’t produced.”
Watson is slated to be the starter n Week 2 against the Buccaneers in Tampa, but beyond that, he could be talking himself out of the job.
Browns’ Deshaun Watson Facing Backlash for What He Said This Week