Todd Monken Praises Deshaun Watson After Browns Win, 'Very Young Player' Who Will 'Continue to Grow'

Deshaun Watson did something truly rare on Sunday—he had a good game as the quarterback of the Cleveland Browns, throwing for 238 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 23-19 upset over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

After the game, head coach Todd Monken talked about being asked each week if Watson would remain the starter and praised Sunday's effort.

"Do I love dealing with it every week? Of course not. You guys keep asking, which is a lot of fun," he told reporters sarcastically. "But the reality is, of course—of course. And I'm happy for Deshaun, the way he's played, and I expected improvement, and I expect continued improvement. There's a lot of football left in him—he just hasn't played in a while. And learning our system and trying to get him consistent with his drops and his reads is part of the process. He's like every player. I see him as a young player. I know people don't want to see it that way, and I haven't been here. But I see him as still a very young player that is going to continue to grow."

Watson is 31 and is in his eighth season in the NFL, so describing him as a young player is a bit odd. He's also been awful and oft-injured during his tenure in Cleveland, throwing for 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions across just 21 games while taking 77 sacks, completing 62.6 percent of his passes and recording a 10-11 record.

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Still, Monken believes Watson turned a corner on Sunday. And it came at a crucial time, given the reports last week that his starting job was on the line.

"I was happy for Deshaun," Monken noted. "He made a number of plays with his legs. Played with confidence. He let it rip. You could see the difference from Week 1 to Week 2, and I think we're just going to grow together."

In other words, the Shedeur Sanders' stans aren't going to see their guy in action just yet.