Deshaun Watson has bought himself more time as the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback, turning two late touchdown drives into back-to-back wins and carrying a 2-1 team into a division showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cleveland will host Pittsburgh on Thursday night at Huntington Bank Field, with first place in the AFC North at stake.
Watson changes the mood in Cleveland
Watson was greeted with cheers as he headed to the locker room after Cleveland’s 21-18 Week 3 victory over the Carolina Panthers, a dramatically different reception from the boos he heard during a preseason appearance in late August. General manager Andrew Berry met Watson outside the locker room following the win, and the two exchanged a handshake and embrace before joining the rest of the team.
The change followed another decisive fourth-quarter drive. Watson threw the game-winning touchdown against Carolina one week after bringing the Browns back from a 10-point second-half deficit in a 23-19 road win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That victory gave Watson his first win as Cleveland’s starter since September 2024.
Those moments have altered the immediate quarterback discussion after a turbulent stretch for Watson. Cleveland acquired him from the Houston Texans for three first-round selections and signed him to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract in March 2022. His Browns tenure has included an 11-game suspension following accusations by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage appointments, as well as major injuries and inconsistent play.
Watson returned this season after two surgeries on a torn right Achilles tendon suffered in October 2024. Before the season, many expected Cleveland could move on after the year despite an $86 million dead-cap charge, potentially using one of its two first-round choices in the 2027 NFL Draft to find another quarterback.
Monken’s decision is producing early results
First-year head coach Todd Monken selected Watson over Shedeur Sanders following a competition that ran from April workouts into training camp. Watson had an uneven preseason and threw more than a dozen interceptions during camp, but Monken cited his experience, athletic ability and complete body of work in deciding he gave the Browns their best chance to win.
Cleveland has drafted three quarterbacks across the past two draft classes:
- Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel were selected in 2025.
- Gabriel is currently on injured reserve.
- Taylen Green joined the organization as a sixth-round pick in 2026.
- Sanders remains Watson’s primary backup and took one snap on the final drive against Carolina after Watson absorbed a hard hit.
Watson struggled in a 34-10 Week 1 loss at Jacksonville, and the following game against former Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield created an obvious opening for calls to make a change. Monken stayed with Watson, however, and has continued to stress that the quarterback needs game repetitions after a lengthy layoff while learning the offense.
Monken said he does not want the identity of the starting quarterback to become a weekly subject, adding that he expects Watson’s consistency to improve. The coach has viewed Watson as a player still developing within Cleveland’s system, particularly in his footwork, drops and reads.
Watson said he believes he still has significant football ahead of him despite entering his 10th NFL season. His stated focus is on clean football and helping Cleveland win, rather than outside criticism or speculation about his future.
Clutch fourth quarters mask offensive concerns
Watson’s overall production has been respectable through three games, and his late-game work has stood out. He has completed 68.3% of his passes for 587 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. His 62.3 QBR is his best single-season figure in Cleveland and ranks 15th among 30 qualified quarterbacks.
- Watson’s fourth-quarter QBR is 95.1, fifth in the NFL.
- His 105 rushing yards rank fifth among quarterbacks.
- He has an 11-11 record as Cleveland’s starter.
- The Browns have won consecutive games with Watson as starter only twice since he arrived.
- Cleveland is scoring 18 points per game, ranking 24th in the league.
There are still clear issues for an offense that has not reached 300 total yards in any game this season. Watson has thrown for only 334 yards during the first three quarters of Cleveland’s three contests, and his 30.9 QBR before the fourth quarter ranks 27th.
His 6.2-yard average depth of target is a career low and the third-shortest mark in the league. Watson also owns a 16% off-target rate, 13th highest in the NFL. The Browns have leaned on late-game plays after uneven stretches earlier in games, and Monken has acknowledged that the offense has not yet played its best football.
Watson’s ability to reset after mistakes rather than let difficult series snowball has been a positive sign. Still, his play has not approached the level expected of a quarterback whose guaranteed contract is exceeded only by the deals held by Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Dallas’ Dak Prescott.
Steelers test will shape the next chapter
Cleveland’s defense has improved under new coordinator Mike Rutenberg, helping give the Browns a chance to turn their early momentum into a meaningful AFC North push. The Browns have won four straight home games against the Steelers, although Watson has not started any of those victories.
Watson is 0-3 in his career against Pittsburgh. In two starts for Cleveland against the Steelers, he completed 59.4% of his passes with three touchdowns and three interceptions.
Thursday’s matchup will be another measure of whether Watson’s recent fourth-quarter success can be sustained. Cleveland has not made a long-term commitment beyond this season, and Berry said during training camp that there was no need to decide the quarterback’s future immediately.
Co-owner Jimmy Haslam said in March 2025 that the Watson trade had been a major miss, though he later softened that assessment. In July, Haslam said there were many possible outcomes when asked whether Watson could earn another contract. Watson has indicated he would be open to an extension, but any serious discussion would require a stronger season and a larger role in Cleveland’s success.
Even after the recent wins, Watson’s 36.6 QBR since his Browns debut ranks 33rd among 34 qualifying quarterbacks, ahead of only Tennessee’s Cam Ward. Cleveland also holds its own 2027 first-round pick and the Los Angeles Rams’ first-rounder obtained in the Myles Garrett trade, giving the club substantial flexibility if it again needs to address quarterback.
For now, Watson remains in command of the job. A win over Pittsburgh would give Cleveland a 3-1 start, sole control of the division race and another reason to postpone the franchise’s most difficult quarterback decision.
