Deshaun Watson is set to make his regular season return when the Cleveland Browns travel to play the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday for Week 1. Watson has two road games (the Browns will play at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2) to start the regular season before the coaching staff needs to decide if they want him to make a start at home against the Carolina Panthers in Week 3, given the statement the quarterback made after being booed in Cleveland during the preseason. Watson's job became a little bit harder after Browns head coach Todd Monken revealed starting right guard Tevon Jenkins would not play against the Jaguars due to a back injury.
Cleveland will start Austin Barber at right guard, who the Browns took in the third round of this year's draft. More News: Exclusive: Breakout NFL Executives Who Could Become Future General Managers More News: 4 QBs Generating Serious Trade Buzz Weeks Before NFL Regular Season Starts The Browns will start two rookies on the offensive line. In addition to Barber, Spencer Fano, a first-round pick, will start at left tackle.
Monken is confident his two rookies can handle the job against Jacksonville on Sunday. And I haven’t seen anything to the contrary that would make me believe that they’re not going to play really, really well and confidently." Those injuries upfront could test the mobility of Watson, who has not had the same ability to escape the pocket in Cleveland that he showed when he was with the Houston Texans. Coming off of an Achilles injury, the strength of the offensive line is paramount for the veteran quarterback.
Watson went 1-6 as a starter for Cleveland in 2024 before suffering the Achilles injury. He completed 63.4% of his passes for 1,148 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions. For more on the Browns and the NFL, head to Newsweek Sports.
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