Jon Gruden shares advice for Browns regarding quarterback situation

The Cleveland Browns' decision to start Deshaun Watson has been understandably criticized.

Watson hasn't been the same player for years, hadn't played since 2024 and didn't look good at all in the preseason. Then, in Week 1, things went as badly as anyone could've expected.

That's why, with two intriguing prospects in the quarterback room, former NFL head coach Jon Gruden tried to give his colleague and friend Todd Monken some pointers.

In an appearance on John Fanta's "Fanta in 60," the former Super Bowl champion gushed about Taylen Green's physical traits and urged Monken to get him on the field in some packages, with Shedeur Sanders as the starter. 

Jon Gruden would play Shedeur Sanders, Taylen Green over Deshaun Watson

“I would go with Shedeur Sanders. I would want to see what he looks like for an extended period. And I’d start giving Taylen Green some reps and let him come in and run some short yardage, run some goal line, have a package of plays where we can utilize his athleticism. We just need a change, and we need a fresh start, I think,” Gruden said.

It's hard to believe an offensive mastermind like Todd Monken hasn't contemplated that idea.

As raw as Green is as a passer, he gives the team a dynamic weapon and a perennial physical mismatch in goal-line situations.

As for Sanders, he's clearly not quite there in his development yet, but he made big strides between seasons and, more importantly, he still has some upside as he's just in his second year.

Watson hasn't been the same player since he arrived in Cleveland, and he's gotten into multiple run-ins with the fan base.

The decision to start him seems to be entirely motivated by his fully guaranteed $230 million contract. Otherwise, it's rather impossible to justify having him on the field at this point.

And while Monken might not have the final say in that, especially given team owner Jimmy Haslam's reputation for meddling and micromanaging, ultimately this disaster will be on his resume.

He has time to revert course and get a fresh start with a quarterback the fans and the locker room can rally around. Whether he'll do it might be a different story.