Browns HC strangely calls 31-year-old Deshaun Watson a 'very young player'

The Cleveland Browns won their first game of the season, beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2, 23-19.

In this Week 2 win, Deshaun Watson went 23-for-30 with 238 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions and two sacks taken. He also ran for 22 yards on seven attempts. It was one of Watson's best games since joining the Browns.

On Monday after the win, Todd Monken went to bat for his QB amid another question about whether the Browns would make a QB switch. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com shared Monken's defense, which strangely featured Monken calling the 31-year-old Watson a "very young player."

Todd Monken strangely calls Deshaun Watson a 'very young 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," Monken said.

#Browns Todd Monken would love not to have to answer each week if Watson will start the next week. Also views him as a young player who will continue to grow: https://t.co/pMNhIuVLek

Watson is 31 years old. In all professional sports, especially the NFL, that's not considered to be a "young" age. Players at that age are never called "very young," like Monken just did.

This is a very strange claim from Monken. No matter how it's taken, calling Watson a young player just doesn't make any sense.

MORE: Todd Monken hits back at Mike Tomlin after first win as Browns coach: 'F— that'

Watson is 31 years old and has been in the NFL since the 2017 season. That's 10 years that Watson has been in the league. Players who've spent that long cannot be considered young.

Watson has played in just 75 games during his regular-season career. That total is due to missing the entire 2021 and 2025 seasons and playing just 19 games between 2022 and 2024 with the Browns.

Even if going by playing time, Watson has still played more than enough to not be considered a young player. His total games played (75) are roughly equivalent to 4.5 17-game seasons in the NFL. That's not a total time played by a "very young player."

While Monken is trying to emphasize how Watson has room to grow, it's still a strange claim to make. Watson is not a "very young player" despite what Monken said.

There is not a single way to slice it to be able to consider Watson a "very young player," as Monken claims. At best, there could be a turnaround in Watson's career. But even if he does figure things out, he is never going to be a young player again.

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