Cleveland Browns Veteran Quarterback Watson Criticizes Boos After Preseason Game Against B
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The veteran quarterback appeared in the Cleveland Browns preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, and fans were not thrilled about his performance. Watson finished his day going 5-for-12 for 36 passing yards and one interception.
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CBS SportsWatson said that his experiences with Browns fans are usually only negative on either social media or during home games. He was hoping that the situation regarding the fans' treatment of him would be better given his involvement in the city and after he worked to get himself back in position to compete to be the Browns' starting quarterback.
The Guardian SportWatson was just 5 of 12 passing for 36 yards and threw an interception during the preseason defeat. He came off the bench in place of Shedeur Sanders, who is competing with Watson for the starting job. Browns head coach Todd Monken has yet to decide which QB will start the season opener in Jacksonville on 13 September.
ESPNBrowns' Watson: Boos 'personal,' not based on play Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson was booed in his first home game since suffering a right Achilles tendon injury in October 2024 and said he felt the reaction from the crowd was "disrespectful" and felt "personal."
Bleacher ReportWatson also said prior to Saturday he thought he'd done enough since making his last start for the Browns in October 2024 to help win over the fanbase.
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"I think the whole world knows it has nothing to do about the performance," Watson said after Saturday's preseason action (h/t ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi). "It's a little bit more personal than that. So, I think that's a disrespectful thing."
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CBS Sports"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."
The Guardian Sport“It has nothing to do about the performance,” Watson said of the boos. “It’s a little bit personal. I think that’s a disrespectful thing. I’m going to keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally on how I feel about that. Just move on.”
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"Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles and that same fan base, they cheered when I got hurt," Watson said after the game. "So what does that have to do with anything about performance? When a person gets hurt, especially for your own city, and they cheer."
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The Guardian SportWatson hasn’t forgotten the cheers that greeted his injury in 2024. “Last time I played on this field, I tore my achilles and that same fanbase, 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.”
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"I thought being away for two years, and working myself back from two Achilles injuries, and putting the time in, and being around the facility, being around the city, doing charity work in the city, supporting the Cleveland Browns, hanging out with fans whenever I do see them... would help, but I guess it hasn't," Watson said. "It's personal."
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CBS Sports"I thought being away for two years and working myself back from two Achilles injuries and putting the time in and being around the facility, being around the city, doing charity work in the city, supporting the Cleveland Browns, hanging out with fans whenever I do see them, being honest, being the type of person that I know I am and the character would help," he said. "And I guess it hasn't. So that's why I say it's personal. So it is what it is. People have their own opinions. There's only so much you can do to change that. So at the end of the day, I just have to continue to just work on it and strive to be better mentally moving forward."
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"In general, I don't appreciate that at all, regardless of competition. We're all human beings," Sanders said about the boos after the game.
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Fox SportsSanders, to his credit, spoke out against the booing of Watson after the game, saying, "It's a respect that I feel should be there."
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Sanders played three more series, finishing out the first half, but he couldn't replicate the success he found on the Browns' initial drive. On Cleveland's second drive of the second quarter, Sanders targeted tight end Jermaine Terry II on a crossing route, but the Bills' defense deflected the pass, and it fell into safety Damar Hamlin's hands.
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CBS SportsUnfortunately for Sanders, his ninth throw was not a good one, either. The former Colorado star threw behind 2025 undrafted tight end Jermaine Terry II, and the ball deflected up in the air and right to Damar Hamlin.
4 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 The Guardian Sport Saturday’s game was his first at home since he tore his achilles tendon in October 2024, when some Browns fans cheered him sustaining a potential career-ending injury.
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02 Bleacher Report Shedeur Sanders, who is competing with Watson for the starting job, also threw an interception as the Browns conceded a 31-7 defeat to a Bills squad led by quarterbacks Kyle Allen and Shane Buechele.
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03 Fox Sports Plenty of quarterbacks thrived on Saturday in Week 2 of the NFL preseason, some with jobs on the line.
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04 CBS Sports To make his point, Watson noted that Saturday wasn't the first time that he felt the ire of Browns fans. He added that he gets treated better by opposing fans.
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Sources (5)
- foxsports
- cbssports
- espn
- bleacherreport
- guardian-sport