The Cleveland Browns plan to turn back to Deshaun Watson as their starting quarterback for Week 10 against the Houston Texans, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler on Monday, despite an encouraging performance from Shedeur Sanders in his first start of the season.
Speaking with reporters on Monday, coach Todd Monken said he was not yet ready to announce who would line up under center this week. "I really haven't thought through it other than getting through this morning's tape," he said, adding that the staff would hold more extensive offensive meetings later in the day once players had moved on from the game.
Sanders started Sunday's 23-22 overtime loss to the Saints in New Orleans and completed 19 of 31 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns. Watson did not clear concussion protocol until Saturday and was inactive for the game.
"I'm awfully proud of him," Monken said Monday when asked about Sanders, noting it had been 10 weeks since the young quarterback had taken reps with the first team. "I thought he battled, I thought he showed composure in the pocket, getting to his checkdowns at times." Monken said there was plenty to like along with plenty to clean up, which he called expected from a player who had barely practiced with the starters, and he said he saw a lot to build on.
Watson had guided Cleveland to a 5-3 record before Sunday, helped in large part by an NFL-high five game-winning drives, but he entered Week 9 with a 40.9 QBR that ranked 28th out of 30 qualifying quarterbacks. Sanders posted a 39 QBR against the Saints, the second-highest single-game mark of his career.
After a slow start, Sanders came alive in the second half Sunday, connecting with rookie wide receiver Denzel Boston on a 60-yard completion and then hitting fellow rookie KC Concepcion for a 64-yard touchdown that gave Cleveland a 13-9 lead late in the fourth quarter. His two throws of at least 60 yards doubled the total Watson had managed across his first eight games.
Sanders then led the Browns on a late field goal drive to send the game to overtime and found Harold Fannin Jr. for a 39-yard touchdown late in the extra period. His final pass on a 2-point attempt that would have won the game fell incomplete, sealing the one-point loss.
