The Cleveland Browns are locked in for an intense QB battle between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders for the upcoming season. While there is no official confirmation, it is believed that head coach Todd Monken would give the starting job to Watson.

During an appearance on the 'Speakeasy' channel, former linebacker Emmanuel Acho claimed Monken is setting up Watson for failure. He believes Monken offering him the starting job would hurt Watson more than the team and fans themselves.

"To me he's[Monken] putting way too much pressure on Deshaun Watson because realistically speaking Deshaun is more likely to be bad," Acho said. "But Todd Monken is leading us to believe he's going to be great again."

Deshaun Watson dropped a league-leading 4,823 passing yards and 33 touchdowns during his time with the Houston Texans in 2020. However, it proved to be a one-season wonder rather than a personal standard.

Acho explains how expecting those MVP numbers from Watson would create unrealistic expectations. If he falls short of fulfilling those expectations, fans will unfairly label him as a 'failure.'

One of the main reasons for that thought-process is the massive five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract he signed in 2022.

Since then, Watson has recorded low QBRs, threw for 19 touchdowns in three seasons and sustained two Achilles injuries.

Monken's inflation of expectations currently ignores how rough these last few years have been for Watson. With all the suspensions and injuries, Deshaun Wanders has been nursing for the past 2 years.

The "Disingenuous" Deshaun Watson Victim Narrative

During the interview, Acho also called out Monken for painting the quarterback as an 'underdog.' He also discussed how these off-field issues have molded him into the player he is today.

"To act as though Deshaun Watson is some valiant overcomer of life's transgressions is to some degree disingenuous," Acho stated. "So much of Deshaun Watson's problems in life have been self-inflicted."

Due to Watson's prolonged absence, the Browns' front office had to stabilise their QB room for the future. Therefore, Shedeur Sanders was one of the players who was drafted last year.

However, that acquisition in itself came with a lot of debate and unwanted conversations floating around.

"Did Todd Monken watch the Cleveland Brown circus of last year… and now Todd Monken is brilliantly speaking about Deshaun… bro, we haven't heard about Shedeur," Acho said. "No circus, no chaos, just ball."

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Written by

Nisarga Aseem Barkule

Edited by

Rishab Nandi