Finally, the wait is over for the Cleveland Browns fans as the team named the starter of the 2026 season, handing Deshaun Watson the reins. While we don’t know how the majority of fans feel about the decision, ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky is surely not impressed with Todd Monken’s decision. 

“It’s an embarrassing decision for the organization,” ESPN analyst and former quarterback did not mince his words on the August 24 episode of the NFL on ESPN podcast. “I stand by that.”

The decision did not sit well with Orlovsky after Watson played in a preseason game for the first time since he suffered a torn Achilles in 2024 on August 15 against the Chicago Bears. 

Watson completed 11 of 15 passes for 126 yards, leading two scoring drives and accounting for all of Cleveland’s points in the 34-10 loss. Unfortunately, he failed to carry that momentum to the second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills on August 22.

Get The Huddle Newsletter. The day's biggest NFL stories — rivalries, matchups, expert analysis, power rankings, and insider draft news.

Taking over the gridiron at halftime, there were multiple occasions when he struggled as boos started raining down. Boos grew louder when Watson opened the third quarter with another three-and-out. On third down, Buffalo’s Mike Danna made contact with his arm as he released the ball, resulting in a short pass.

At the end of the day, he had completed five passes of 12 for 36 yards. In contrast, Shedeur Sanders played only the first half and went 9-of-11 for 74 yards and one touchdown. But to Monken, Watson was the more deserving candidate.

“We took in the full body of work over the course of the offseason to training camp, to the games, the joint practice, and ultimately felt like to start the season on the road, Deshaun gave us the best chance to move the ball and score points,” Monken said. “I mean, that’s really what it’s about.”

So, Orlovsky’s frustration is more towards Cleveland than Watson. After all, the Browns claimed to have made a mistake investing in Watson. 

“April or March of ’25, the owner came out and said, ‘We took a big swing on the quarterback.’ We thought we had him. We didn’t. We don’t. You just named him the starter,” Orlovsky added. 

Orlovsky says the one thing that might have made the decision easier to understand would have been Watson taking accountability publicly. Instead, what he did was call out the fans for booing at him. 

“I think the whole world knows it has nothing to do about the performance,” Watson said in the postgame presser. “It’s a little bit [more] personal than that. So I think it’s a disrespectful thing. So yeah, I mean, I’m going to keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally on how I feel about that. And yeah, just move on.”

The Browns traded three first-round picks for him in 2022 and gave him a record-setting fully guaranteed contract. All this time, Watson got the Browns’ back. He missed the 2025 season due to injuries. Now that he is back and healthy, Cleveland trusted him to lead the team. It’s now time to see whether he can prove the analysts and fans wrong, who are now calling out the franchise to pick him as the QB1.