The final week of the NFL preseason is upon us, which means it's decision week for all 32 teams around the league. The Cleveland Browns made the biggest decision on Monday. They named Deshaun Watson their Week 1 starter, giving him the honor over Shedeur Sanders after his polarizing comments toward the fanbase.
That decision is one of many that will be made throughout the week as teams need to trim their rosters down to 53 players by Sunday evening. The Houston Texans and New England Patriots also made decisions on Monday, agreeing to a rare player swap in a trade that landed Houston a wide receiver. As we're just over two weeks away from the start of the regular season, here's what you need to know from Monday's news around the NFL.
The Cleveland Browns officially have a starting quarterback for the upcoming season. Head coach Todd Monken officially announced on Monday morning that Deshaun Watson will be the team's Week 1 starting quarterback. Following a competitive camp battle with second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Monken chose to give the nod to the veteran signal-caller.
"I took in the full body of work over the course of the offseason to training camp to the games, the joint practice, and ultimately felt like to start the season on the road, Deshaun [Watson] gave us the best chance to move the ball and score points," Monken told reporters. "I mean, that’s really what it’s about." While highlighting the team's ongoing belief in Sanders, Monken stressed that the choice was strictly about immediate offensive production. "I think Shedeur [Sanders] has done a great job," Monken told reporters.
"Come a long way and we’re excited about his future, but this is not a week-to-week decision." Watson hasn’t played a full season since 2020 and has logged only 19 starts in a Browns uniform. In those starts, his play has been mediocre at best, falling drastically short of the massive three-first-round-pick haul Cleveland traded to bring him in. Over three seasons in Cleveland, Watson has posted a 9–10 record while completing 61.2% of his passes for 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
With the decision now behind the Browns and Watson, all eyes shift towards Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Houston Texans agreed to acquire wide receiver Kayshon Boutte from the New England Patriots on Monday in exchange for safety Jaylen Reed and a 2028 seventh-round draft pick. The Texans made the move to bolster their wide receiver depth following a season-ending ACL injury to Jayden Higgins during joint practice last week.
Boutte will join Sterling Shepard and Zay Jones as new additions to the receiving room. Boutte recorded 33 receptions for 551 yards and six touchdowns for the Patriots last season, but became expendable after the team traded for Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Brown.
They also signed former Green Bay Packers pass catcher Romeo Doubs this offseason. Boutte addressed the trade speculation surrounding him during training camp last week. "I'm just blocking out the noise," Boutte told reporters.
"That's the main thing. We all hear the stuff that's going on. But like I always said, I'm where I'm at.
My feet are here, so I'm not worried about what's next or what's behind me. Just being present." Boutte joins a Houston receiving group that features Nico Collins, Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel and Tank Dell. The Carolina Panthers received positive news on running back Chuba Hubbard on Monday morning.
Head coach Dave Canales announced that Hubbard is on track to be ready for the Week 1 opener against the Chicago Bears. Hubbard strained his hamstring earlier this month in training camp and still has yet to play in any of the Panthers' preseason games while working his way back to full strength. "He’s expected to be ready for Week 1," Canales told reporters.
"He hit over 20 miles per hour the other day, but that is on a controlled setting and right now we don’t want to put him back out there for someone to pull on his jersey and for him to have to pull his way through that. He’s ahead of schedule and he’s doing a great job." Hubbard is looking to bounce back after a frustrating and regressive 2025 season plagued by a calf injury. The injury opened the door for Rico Dowdle, who took over the starting job from Hubbard before signing a free-agent deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason.
Not only is Hubbard expected to suit up for the opener against the Bears, but Canales revealed the Panthers plan to ease him in with a shared backfield. Former second-round pick Jonathon Brooks is set to share carries as part of a committee approach to start the season. If Hubbard struggles once again this season, Brooks has a genuine path to take over the backfield.
The second-round pick out of Texas has shown promise this preseason and possesses the talent to develop into a primary starter as long as he can find a way to stay healthy. All offseason long, eyes have been on New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers and his knee recovery. Now, Nabers seems to be heading in the right direction to play against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1.
While head coach John Harbaugh refrained from making any blanket statements on Nabers' timeline, he told reporters that "it's reasonable to assume" the receiver will be ready for the start of the regular season. Jaxson Dart is set for a big season, but a lot of that could depend on the availability of Nabers. Once Nabers is officially back on the field, he’ll join a balanced group that includes Darnell Mooney, Malachi Fields, Darius Slayton and Odell Beckham Jr.
Nabers only played in four games last season, but when he was on the field, he was one of the most explosive receivers in the league. Across those four contests, he hauled in 18 receptions for 271 yards (15.1 yards per catch) and two touchdowns. The Dart and Nabers connection was put on hold in Week 4 when Nabers suffered a season-ending ACL and meniscus tear against the Los Angeles Chargers.
