How long will Browns start Deshaun Watson at QB? The uncomfortable answer after Cleveland's blowout loss

It's going to be another long season in Cleveland .

That much is clear after watching a 34-10 blowout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1. The only question is what will be learned from the end before the next new beginning.

It was the same old sadistic setting in the first half. Quarterback Deshaun Watson threw an interception on the opening drive. Jacksonville jumped out to a 24-0 first-half lead behind Trevor Lawrence , who finished 18 of 23 for 245 yards and four TDs. Backup quarterback Shedeur Sanders paced the sidelines.

Watson – who is in the final year of a five-year, $230 million contract with Cleveland – finished 16 of 22 passing for 205 yards, one TD and one interception. He was sacked five times. First-year coach Todd Monken already has a quarterback question with an answer Cleveland fans aren't going to like in two weeks.

Who didn't see this coming besides everybody? Watson didn't play well in his first action since he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Week 7 of the 2024 season. It's not about what is going to happen the rest of the season. It's what Cleveland will do in response that matters.

Simply put, Cleveland fans deserve better than this. Few fan bases can make that claim and mean it. The Browns traded Myles Garrett this offseason one year after he set the single-season record with 23 sacks. Watson was named the starter in the preseason after criticizing Browns fans.

Watson missed receiver Jerry Jeudy across the middle when he did not read linebacker Foyesade Oluokun underneath in coverage. Oluokun made a leaping interception. The Browns' next three drives resulted in a fumble and two three-and-outs. The Jaguars outgained Cleveland 23-495 and led 24-0 at halftime.

To put in perspective how bad that first half was – consider Cleveland's return to the NFL in Week 1 on Sept. 12, 1999. Pittsburgh had a 20-0 halftime lead in a 43-0 blowout. Which begs the question 27 years later: "What really changed?"

It's been a constant coach-and-QB matchmaking game with brief moments of success – including 2020 when Baker Mayfield led the Browns to the AFC divisional playoffs after beating the Steelers 48-37 in the AFC wild card round.

Lawrence was the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Mayfield left Cleveland after the 2021 season. That's what it is. An endless series of what-could-have-beens when the reality on the field is barely watchable at times, and yet that fan base finds hope.

Raheim Sanders had a 74-yard kickoff return in the third quarter, and Cleveland pushed to the 2-yard line. A false start penalty stalled the drive, however, and they had to settle for a field goal. Watson completed a 25-yard crossing route to rookie KC Concepcion on the next drive, but that drop stalled in the red zone when Watson was sacked on third and fourth down.

Watson finally threw a TD on a 46-yard pass to second-round pick Denzel Boston with 1:52 remaining. That's one of those snippets of hope that probably confirms what will happen next for Cleveland – at least for this season.

Should Cleveland Browns start Shedeur Sanders at QB?

That last touchdown has meaning. Monken could have put Shedeur Sanders in with 4:39 remaining in the fourth quarter. Sanders finished 3-4 as a starter last season with 1,400 yards, seven TDs and 10 interceptions – numbers that were good enough to make the now-defunct Pro Bowl.

Sanders isn't a franchise quarterback, but he is inarguably a more popular choice among Browns fans – even if the results would not be that much better. Monken, however, likely will stick with Watson for the next few weeks – and that's going to be a test for all parties involved, including owner Jimmy Haslam and general manager Andrew Berry.

Cleveland plays Tampa Bay – led by Mayfield – in Week 2. Then comes back-to-back home games against Carolina and Pittsburgh.

Will Watson still be the starter after that stretch? Yes. Will the countdown to the quarterback-heavy 2027 NFL Draft begin in earnest? Yes. Is there reason to believe in a three-year plan that puts a more palatable product on the field when Cleveland's new stadium opens in 2029? That depends on whether the Browns can finally find that quarterback with some of the new young pieces such as Concepcion and Boston.

Cleveland fans have been waiting since 1999. Is three more years really that long?