EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsCLEVELAND -- In his first home game since tearing his right Achilles tendon in October 2024, Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson was met with loud boos, a reaction he said was "disrespectful."In four second-half drives, Watson completed 5 of 12 passes for 35 yards and one interception in the Browns' 31-7 preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills. The seats at Huntington Bank Field were half-full, but the boos were pronounced when Watson took the field at the beginning of the second half and as he struggled."I think the whole world knows it has nothing to do about the performance," Watson said. "It's a little bit [more] personal than that. So, I think it's a disrespectful thing. So yeah, I mean, I'm going to keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally on how I feel about that. And yeah, just move on."Watson has been a polarizing figure in Cleveland since the Browns traded three first-round picks to the Houston Texans in March 2022 and gave him a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract in the aftermath of more than two dozen women accusing him of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions.Two Texas grand juries declined to pursue criminal charges against Watson a week before his trade to Cleveland, but he served an 11-game suspension to begin his tenure with the Browns. He also paid a $5 million fine and completed a treatment program after the NFL and the NFL Players Association reached a settlement in August 2022 on his disciplinary matter.Since joining the Browns, Watson has failed to recapture the Pro Bowl form he showcased in Houston, posting a 33.1 Total QBR that would rank last if he had enough starts to qualify. The suspension and injuries have limited him to just 19 games.Watson missed the final nine games of the 2023 season, including Cleveland's wild-card loss to the Texans, after undergoing season-ending surgery on his throwing shoulder.A right Achilles tendon tear on Oct. 20, 2024, sidelined Watson for the remainder of the season and all of the 2025 season after he tore the Achilles again and underwent a second surgery in January 2025. When Watson tore his right Achilles, scores of fans cheered as he lay on the ground in pain and left the field on a cart."Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles. And that same fan base, they cheered when I got hurt," Watson said. "So what does that have to do with anything about performance? When a person gets hurt, especially for your own city and they cheer?"Watson is competing with Shedeur Sanders to be the Browns' starting quarterback. The two have split reps throughout the training camp, and a decision from head coach Todd Monken is imminent. Sanders completed 9 of 11 attempts for 74 yards, one touchdown and an interception in five first-half drives. The second-year quarterback led Cleveland on an 11-play, 65-yard drive on its opening possession, capped by an 8-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Luke Floriea. Sanders completed his first eight attempts but was intercepted by safety Damar Hamlin on his ninth pass.The Browns and Bills rested the majority of their starters after conducting joint practices on Thursday -- rookie wide receiver Denzel Boston was the only Browns projected starter on offense to play -- so Sanders played alongside a host of backups Saturday.After the game, Monken declined to give an exact timeline for naming a starter. However, he told the University Hospitals Browns Radio Network before the game that he didn't anticipate a decision on QB1 going past early next week."I know you asked [Watson], like, 'Hey, how does it feel to get booed?' It's a pretty easy question, it sucks," Monken said. "I don't want to get booed. It comes with the territory. You don't want to get booed? Let's play good football. Let's play good at quarterback. Let's play good on offense. Let's play good as a team. And then you don't have to worry about all that because it can turn just like that. Win, play good football, and everybody will be fine. That's just part of it. That's what I told him. 'You good? We're good.' Part of what we do."The Browns host the New England Patriots next Thursday for their preseason finale. Cleveland opens the 2026 regular season on the road, at Jacksonville and then at Tampa Bay, for its first two games before facing the Carolina Panthers in Week 3 for its home opener."I feel like I get more love in road games than I do home games," Watson. "So if it is my spot ... maybe it's 17 away games then. I don't know."
