Former NFL star Chad Ochocinco is warning that Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson could lose his starting job as early as Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season if the team stumbles out of the gate. In a recent interview with OutKick, Ochocinco said the pressure on Watson is so intense that a winless start would likely force the Browns to make a change before the campaign gets too far along.
Watson is set to start the season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, a decision made by first-year head coach Todd Monken that has sparked debate across the football world. The veteran quarterback is returning from a torn Achilles suffered in 2024 and has yet to live up to the five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract he signed after being traded from the Houston Texans. Fans booed Watson during a home preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, a reaction he called "disrespectful" and "personal."
Ochocinco laid out a clear scenario for Watson's demise. "If they start the season 0-2 — you open with the Jaguars. Then, you have Tampa Bay, then you come home. I'm not sure you play the third game, but you'd have to start that season off either 1-1 or 2-0," he said. "If you start off 0-2, they're making a move. They're making a move before the season gets too far away from them."
The Browns' home opener in Week 3 would be against the Carolina Panthers, and Ochocinco believes that could be the moment the team decides to pivot. He has been vocal about the quarterback situation on his "Nightcap" podcast with Shannon Sharpe, insisting there was never a real competition between Watson, Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, or anyone else on the depth chart.
"It was never a quarterback competition. It never was. At no point in any game is the $46 million man competing for a job and would lose to the younger player based on salary," Ochocinco said. "As an owner and person writing the check, Deshaun Watson was always going to be the starting quarterback no matter what. Now, it's his job to lose now going forward, and his leash is going to be very short."
Watson's tenure in Cleveland has been marked by disappointment. Since arriving from Houston, he has started just 19 games across three seasons, with injuries and an 11-game NFL suspension in 2022 limiting his availability. The Browns have gone 9-10 in those starts, including a 1-6 record in his most recent action during 2024. Watson has thrown 19 touchdowns against 12 interceptions, completing 61.2% of his passes for 3,365 yards and a passer rating of 80.7.
Those numbers stand in stark contrast to his four seasons with the Texans, where he earned three Pro Bowl selections, led the NFL with 4,823 passing yards in 2020, and posted a passer rating of 104.5. Ochocinco said he understands why Browns fans have turned on Watson, pointing to the baggage he brought from Houston and the lack of on-field success since.
"The fans are upset, the fans are booing because they have nothing to cheer for," Ochocinco said. "You haven't given them anything to cheer for in general. So, the bad taste that's left in their mouths are the issues that came with you from Houston on top of coming here to Cleveland. You've given them nothing to cheer for, therefore that's why they're gonna feel the way they feel."
Despite the bleak outlook, Ochocinco believes Watson can still win over the crowd if he performs. "Winning cures all," he said. "Listen, they come out the gate, somehow find a way to beat Jacksonville, find a way to beat Tampa, and you go into Cleveland the first home game 2-0. Man, they will cheer their a—off. You're gonna hear cheering and eruptions of cheering for Deshaun that he's never heard before."
The Browns face a difficult opening stretch against playoff hopefuls in the Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Ochocinco sees no other path for Watson to keep his job beyond winning those early games, noting that a 1-1 or 2-0 start would be the minimum required to silence the doubters and secure his place under center for the home opener.