Browns name Shedeur Sanders as starting QB vs. Texans over Deshaun Watson

BEREA ― Shedeur Sanders isn't just going to be an injury stop-gap for the Cleveland Browns . He's going to be the full-time starting quarterback once again. Coach Todd Monken annnounced Nov. 11 that he was going to make Sanders the starter when the Browns play their first home game since Oct. 18 this week against the Houston Texans . He'll replace Deshaun Watson , who started the first eight games and led the Browns to a 5-3 record before the effects of a concussion sidelined him in Week 9 at the New Orleans Saints . Sanders started that game, which the Browns lost 23-22 in overtime on a failed two-point conversion. However, he played well enough in the game, especially over the fourth quarter and overtime, to lead Monken to make the change. Subscribe to Browns Insider newsletter Sanders was 19-of-31 for 297 yards and two touchdowns against the Saints. That included going 10-of-15 for 187 yards and two scores in the final 5:33 of regulation along with overtime. "It didn't alter it," Monken said the day after the game. "I was thrilled. I was happy for him. Every player wants to go and play and play well. And there were moments I didn't coach well enough and he didn't play well enough, but there were moments at the end of the game where he made plays. … It gives me more and more confidence at what I saw in the fall that there's something to build on, for sure." After the Saints took a 9-6 lead with 5:38 left in regulation, Sanders threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to KC Concepcion on the first play of the possession to go in front 13-9 17 seconds later. He led a game-tying field goal drive after the Saints went in front 16-13, as Andre Szmyt kicked a 51-yarder with eight seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game. Sanders capped his day with a 39-yard touchdown pass to tight end Harold Fannin Jr. with a minute remaining in overtime. However, Sanders couldn’t connect with Denzel Boston on the two-point conversion try to give the Saints the win. Watson went into the protocol Nov. 3 after he self-reported concussion symptoms. Those symptoms date back to the Nov. 1 game at the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he sustained a helmet-to-helmet hit from Steelers safety Jaquan Brisker with 13:33 remaining in the first quarter. Sanders replaced Watson in that game for four plays, completing both pass attempts for two yards. Watson returned for the second Browns possession and finished out the game, completing 27 of 39 passes for 324 yards, but also took eight sacks. Sanders has made two brief appearances this season when Watson has left a game because of a roughing penalty, the other coming in Week 3 against the Carolina Panthers. However, he did start the final seven games a year ago, as well spend the entire offseason and most of training camp in a competition with Watson for the starting job. Watson had quarterbacked the Browns to five fourth-quarter comebacks, including four in which they scored the go-ahead points in the final two minutes of the game. He leads the NFL in passer rating (130.3), passing yards (448), completion percentage (75.5) and completions (37) in the final two minutes of either half. For the season, Watson has completed 163-of-249 passes for 1,806 yards, an average of 258 yards per game. He's thrown seven touchdowns to three interceptions, while posting a 91.2 rating. Buy Cleveland Browns tickets This is the final season of the fully-guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract paid out to Watson when the Browns acquired him from the Texans in 2022. He arrived with the off-the-field baggage of more than two dozen lawsuits ― all since settled ― by women in the Houston area alleging sexual assault and/or sexual misconduct during massage appointments, all of which led to an 11-game suspension from the league to open his Cleveland career. Over the first four seasons, Watson had played in just 19 of a possible 68 games due to suspension and injuries, including season-ending shoulder and Achilles injuries in 2023 and 2024. Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ. Sign up for Browns Insider newsletter at  https://profile.beaconjournal.com/newsletters/browns-insider/ Our editors independently choose our recommendations. Some content is produced with paid support from a third party, however our editorial decisions remain independent. If you buy through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices and availability may change.