First, it was a violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy, and later it was a ruptured Achilles. Deshaun Watson’s time with the Cleveland Browns has been marred by absences. Since ‌the 2022 season, the Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has only appeared in 19 games, while missing the complete 2025 season because of the re-rupturing of his right Achilles.

His return to the NFL after the long-term injury layoff has raised a lot of questions, especially after coach Todd Monken’s recent comments on the QB battle with Shedeur Sanders. While reacting to head coach Monken’s press conference on Wednesday, Ken Carman went after Deshaun Watson’s return to the gridiron, citing Watson’s low production and availability over the last four years, while talking with co-host Anthony Lima on 92.3 The Fan. 

“No, I think no, he doesn’t get any credit. I think the organization gets blame,” Ken Carman said. “It’s not proven anything to me when it comes to that. I you’d say whatever you want to in a press conference, I mean, but whatever, you’re out of here on the first thing, smoking any chance you get, really…”

The Browns made the move to get Watson by giving up three first-round picks, a third-round pick, and two fourth-round picks. Moreover, he was also handed a five-year, $230 million extension, which was fully guaranteed.

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Four years after the trade, this move makes no sense. But at that time, Watson was coming off a season where he threw for 4,823 passing yards and had 33 touchdowns. He got the All-Pro nod after this season. However, it was from then on that things just never seemed right.

The following season, Watson was looking for a way out of the Texans. However, that was not the only issue. There were allegations of sexual assault against him, and he remained inactive the entire season as he tried to navigate through a trade and the lawsuits.

It was then, in March, 2022, that the Browns decided to take a swing at Watson. However, he was suspended for the first 11 games of the season. 

He managed to secure a 3-3 record as a starter in his first season with the Browns. From then on, he has only managed to start 13 more games in two seasons, as he missed the entirety of last season with an Achilles injury.

In sequence, all of these things make Carman’s statement sound right. The Browns did take a swing at a player who already had his fair share of off-the-field struggles and a bit of trouble with the franchise he was playing for. 

However, they thought they were getting a three-time Pro Bowler. Since his move to the Browns, he has never looked like the player from the 2020 season. While the hope will be that this is the year, his competition, Shedeur Sanders, is not going to make things easy for him.

Sanders and Watson to split starting in preseason

On August 13, 2026, the Browns’ head coach Todd Monken announced that QB Deshaun Watson will start against the Chicago Bears in the first preseason game, followed by Shedeur Sanders in the second game. 

“One’s going to start this week, and one’s going to start next week, and we’re going to play them about a half each,” Todd Monken said. “I’d like to see a quarterback play a half and get a two-minute; we’re going to do everything we can to get a two-minute and for the half, and we’re going to try to do the exact same thing the next week.”

Monken made it clear that the competition remains open, giving Watson an immediate opportunity to show whether he can still command the starting role.

“You have to pick somebody. I have my reasons for how it’s going to go, and it’s still a competition,” he added. “We’re excited to watch guys practice today, let alone on Saturday, and then next week against Buffalo, and we’ll get a chance to see them both.”

Carman’s disbelief in Watson is backed up by his stats. As per Pro Football Reference, Deshaun Watson has started 19 games and thrown for just 3,365 yards, and he scored 19 touchdowns. During which he was sacked 70 times.

“He said he took a long-term contract. Because he said he took, yeah, because he does have to get ready to try to win a job,” Carman said on 92.3 The Fan. “He was gonna have a chance to win a job, so I can understand that. But in most cases, he was out of here on the first thing, smoking. You have a chance to get a job, so I can understand that, but the question’s about, well, long-term. Would you sign a contract long-term? Well, they might be the only organization that’ll have you they seem to be right now.”

With the new job as the QB1 in the first preseason game, Deshaun Watson has the opportunity to change that perception. His performance against the Bears could be an early indication of whether the Cleveland Browns‘ faith in his comeback can translate into a legitimate challenge for Sanders as the QB1.