Deshaun Watson Faces Criticism Amid Struggles at Browns Camp

WHO:

clevelandbrowns.com - QB Deshaun Watson is competing for the starting quarterback spot with second-year QB Shedeur Sanders at the Cleveland Browns.

clevelandbrowns.com - Head coach Todd Monken is overseeing the new offensive system that Watson is learning.

WHAT:

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson has been focusing on "one day at a time" during training camp, stating, "You can't win all the days at once, so you take one day at a time, correct the mistakes you made and build from there."

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson stated, "The biggest thing for me is just letting my instincts take over – not doing anything extra, not doing anything less, just staying balanced and letting it come."

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson expressed confidence in the new wide receivers, saying, "I think KC and Boston have been doing a heck of a job picking up the offense, being able to learn from the veteran receivers in the room, but just making plays."

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson stated, "Day to day it's getting better, and honestly, I think the biggest thing is just playing football. Whenever the preseason games come up and we're out there playing, I think that's where we can learn. Each game is just an opportunity to get better at it."

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson has connected with WR Jerry Jeudy on a short route and found TE Jack Stoll for a nice gain during practice.

clevelandbrowns.com - During a two-minute drill, Shedeur Sanders led a sequence that ended with a touchdown, connecting with WR Gage Larvadain in the end zone.

clevelandbrowns.com - TE Harold Fannin Jr. caught four passes during practice, including one over the middle from Watson on the opening play of 11-on-11 drills.

clevelandbrowns.com - DT Mason Graham drew praise from head coach Todd Monken for his anticipation at the line of scrimmage and excelled in run defense during practice.

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson's training camp performance is ongoing, with specific mention of the 2026 season.

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson aims to return to high-level play, stating, "That's what I'm training for and working for."

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson acknowledged that Monken's offense has thrived over the past three seasons using QB Lamar Jackson, the NFL's all-time leading rusher for quarterbacks.

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson stated, "I think he knows how to call the right plays at the right time for the quarterback to be able to use his feet."

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson is adapting to Monken's offense, which has utilized designed quarterback runs, similar to the system used for QB Lamar Jackson.

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson has been focusing on "stacking each day" during training camp, stating, "It's been good."

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson stated, "The biggest thing for me is just letting my instincts take over – not doing anything extra, not doing anything less, just staying balanced and letting it come."

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson expressed confidence in the new wide receivers, saying, "I think KC and Boston have been doing a heck of a job picking up the offense, being able to learn from the veteran receivers in the room, but just making plays."

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson stated, "Day to day it's getting better, and honestly, I think the biggest thing is just playing football. Whenever the preseason games come up and we're out there playing, I think that's where we can learn. Each game is just an opportunity to get better at it."

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson has been focusing on "one day at a time" during training camp, stating, "You can't win all the days at once, so you take one day at a time, correct the mistakes you made and build from there."

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson has connected with WR Jerry Jeudy on a short route and found TE Jack Stoll for a nice gain during practice.

clevelandbrowns.com - During a two-minute drill, Shedeur Sanders led a sequence that ended with a touchdown, connecting with WR Gage Larvadain in the end zone.

clevelandbrowns.com - TE Harold Fannin Jr. caught four passes during practice, including one over the middle from Watson on the opening play of 11-on-11 drills.

clevelandbrowns.com - DT Mason Graham drew praise from head coach Todd Monken for his anticipation at the line of scrimmage and excelled in run defense during practice.

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson has been competing for the starting quarterback role with Shedeur Sanders for the 2026 season.

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson stated, "Day to day it's getting better, and honestly, I think the biggest thing is just playing football."

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson has thrown 6 interceptions during training camp, leading to criticism of his performance.

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson stated, "That's what's been on my mind the whole time, just playing really good, productive football so we can win a lot of games here."

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson acknowledged that Monken's offense has thrived over the past three seasons using QB Lamar Jackson, the NFL's all-time leading rusher for quarterbacks.

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson stated, "I think he knows how to call the right plays at the right time for the quarterback to be able to use his feet."

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson has been focusing on "stacking each day" during training camp, stating, "It's been good."

clevelandbrowns.com - Head coach Todd Monken noted that Watson's experience in the NFL will aid his transition to the new offense, saying, "Deshaun, based on his experience in the NFL, is going to have a little bit better grasp of what's being asked of him."

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson emphasized the importance of instincts in his gameplay, stating, "The biggest thing for me is just letting my instincts take over – not doing anything extra, not doing anything less, just staying balanced and letting it come."

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson expressed confidence in the new wide receivers, saying, "I think KC and Boston have been doing a heck of a job picking up the offense, being able to learn from the veteran receivers in the room, but just making plays."

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson has been focusing on "productive football" during training camp.

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson stated, "You can't win all the days at once, so you take one day at a time, correct the mistakes you made and build from there."

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson has played 19 games for the Browns since being traded and has battled multiple injuries.

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson has thrown 6 interceptions during training camp, leading to criticism of his performance.

Sportskeeda - NFL insider John Frascella commented on Watson's performance, suggesting he has "handed starting job to Shedeur Sanders."

WHERE:

clevelandbrowns.com - Training camp is taking place at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.

WHEN:

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson's training camp performance is ongoing, with specific mention of the 2026 season.

WHY:

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson aims to return to high-level play, stating, "That's what I'm training for and working for."

HOW:

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson took first team reps on the first day with pads during training camp, while QB Shedeur Sanders worked with the second team.

clevelandbrowns.com - The first day with pads allowed for better evaluation of the run defense, which Graham excelled at, including a play where he lunged at RB Quinshon Judkins to prevent a big gain.

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson, Sanders, and the wide receivers went to Miami to get extra reps in together during the offseason, which is paying off in training camp.

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson, Sanders, and the wide receivers went to Miami to get extra reps in together during the offseason.

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson is building chemistry with new wide receivers, including WR KC Concepcion and WR Denzel Boston, through extra practice sessions in Miami.

clevelandbrowns.com - Watson is adapting to Monken's offense, which has utilized designed quarterback runs, similar to the system used for QB Lamar Jackson.

During training camp, Watson has been focusing on taking things "one day at a time," emphasizing the importance of correcting mistakes and building from there. He expressed confidence in the new wide receivers, noting their progress in learning the offense and making plays, while also highlighting his connection with teammates like Jerry Jeudy and Jack Stoll during practice. Watson is adapting to head coach Todd Monken's offense, which has thrived with designed quarterback runs, and he aims to return to high-level play, stating, "That's what I'm training for and working for."