Todd Monken is taking heat after admitting he did not study Deshaun Watson’s previous performances with the Cleveland Browns before naming him the starting quarterback.
Monken evaluated Watson based on what he saw during the offseason, training camp and preseason. However, the Browns’ new head coach acknowledged that he largely ignored the quarterback’s rocky three-year run in Cleveland.
“I really, to be honest, haven’t looked at it. To be honest, only from afar,” Monken said. “When people say, ‘You had to look at it,’ well, not really. I looked at it from afar when I was down the road, in crossover film or something, but I try to take everything at face value, what I see.”
Monken said he wanted every player on Cleveland’s roster to begin with a clean slate.
“It doesn’t matter what the player is, I think we owe that to our players, guys that are on the roster,” Monken said. “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. So, I really haven’t looked at that, different staff, different system. We’ll let it play out. We’ll see where it goes starting a week from now.”
Todd Monken Called Out Over Deshaun Watson Stance
The admission from Monken generated immediate criticism on social media.
“Good news: Todd Monken hasn’t watched Deshaun Watson’s tape from the 19 games he’s played for the Browns,” 92.3 The Fan’s Daryl Ruiter wrote on X. “Bad news: Todd Monken hasn’t watched Deshaun Watson’s tape from the 19 games he’s played for the Browns.”
One fan compared Monken’s approach to former Browns head coach Hue Jackson’s repeated promises to review the film.
“Hue Jackson: ‘I need to watch the tape.’ Todd Monken: ‘I don’t need to watch the tape,’” the fan wrote. “We’re screwed.”
Another fan offered a sarcastic response.
“When you think about it … I wouldn’t want to see it either,” the fan said. “I didn’t want to watch it live, the first time. Todd doesn’t have to unsee what he never saw. We didn’t get that luxury.”
Deshaun Watson’s Browns Tape Tells Grim Story
Monken’s decision to disregard Watson’s previous work is striking because the quarterback has given the Browns little evidence that he can recapture his Pro Bowl form.
Watson has started just 19 games since Cleveland acquired him from the Houston Texans in 2022 and handed him a fully guaranteed $230 million contract. He has completed 61.2% of his passes for 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions with an 80.7 passer rating. The Browns are 9-10 in his starts.
Watson’s best stretch came in 2023, when Cleveland went 5-1 with him under center. However, he finished that season with a fractured bone in his throwing shoulder and underwent surgery.
His play deteriorated the following season. Watson went 1-6 in 2024, throwing for 1,148 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions before rupturing his Achilles. He suffered a setback during his recovery and missed the entire 2025 season.
Not everyone viewed Monken’s approach as unreasonable. One fan argued that Watson’s performances under a different coaching staff and offensive system should not outweigh what Monken saw firsthand.
“People don’t need to go back to when players were injured or coached in another system to evaluate a player,” the fan wrote. “If this is your reasoning, then he should go back and watch all the Texans and Clemson tape. But what does that have to do with the here and now?”
Todd Monken Putting Reputation on Line With Deshaun Watson
Monken has made it clear that Watson won the job based on his full body of work since the new staff arrived. Watson opened the preseason by completing 11 of 15 passes for 126 yards against the Chicago Bears. His second appearance was much rougher, finishing 5 of 12 for 36 yards with an interception during a 31-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Watson was also booed by Browns fans during the loss. He initially called the reaction “disrespectful” and personal before walking back those comments and acknowledging that his emotions got the best of him.
Monken still chose Watson over Shedeur Sanders, who made seven starts as a rookie last season and has the majority of the fan base on his side. Monken said he did not take the fan reaction to Watson under consideration in his QB1 decision.
“Absolutely not. Would I prefer that we would all be on the same page? Yeah, but that has nothing to do with my decision, and it can never have anything to do with my decision,” Monken said. “My decision has got to be about what’s best for the Browns in week one and all the way through the season, and as long as I’m the head coach here.”
The Browns open the season with road games against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before returning home to face the Carolina Panthers.
Browns Under Fire Over Deshaun Watson Admission