The Cleveland Browns began the 2025 season with the strangest quarterback room in the league. It contained a mix of veterans and two rookies. Head coach Kevin Stefanski originally started former Super Bowl winner Joe Flacco, but ultimately benched him in favor of a rookie.
He started with the earlier pick, Dillon Gabriel, first. After a terrible performance and backlash from fans and critics alike, the tide turned. Shedeur Sanders got his break. Even though it was not the best the Browns fans had seen, he was decent for a rookie. It felt like they had a starting quarterback for the 2026 season. But NFL analysts have a different take.
Why Adam Schefter and Pat McAfee See Deshaun Watson as the Browns’ Starting Quarterback
ESPN’s NFL insiders Adam Schefter and Pat McAfee discussed the possibility of Deshaun Watson starting for the Browns. They had reasons to believe. The inferences they drew were linked to Todd Monken and his recent statements.
On “The Pat McAfee Show,” McAfee and Schefter expressed their views, and the X post was captioned, “I think Deshaun Watson being the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns is absolutely on the table.. It feels like it’s moving towards that right now.”
“[Jimmy] Haslam said that Deshaun Watson very much in play to play for the Cleveland Browns. Shedeur Sanders living in Cleveland, working on in Cleveland. Dillon Gabriel has the same around, says Todd Monken,” McAfee said.
He questioned Schefter, “What is quarterback situation in Cleveland and Deshaun Watson returning to Cleveland Brown, I guess. Deshaun Watson arriving as a Cleveland Brown star quarterback can happen this upcoming season, is that real?”
“I think Deshaun Watson being the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns is absolutely on the table..
It feels like it’s moving towards that right now”@AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/7lP8B4yyxj
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 31, 2026
“I think that’s one of the least talked about biggest stories going to this season. The fact that Deshaun Watson could wind up being the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. I think that’s absolutely on the table. It feels like it’s moving towards that right now. Now Todd Monken comes in, who knows exactly what he’s gonna do. But, they are gonna take a look at everybody,” Schefter replied.
Flacco’s bid ended early as he was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals. Gabriel took over the spot, and terming his performance “bad” would be an understatement. When Sanders received the chance, he did better, but not well enough.
BE AN NFL GM: PFSN’s Ultimate GM Simulator
To be fair to Sanders, he ended the season with a 3-4 record, the best among the Cleveland starters throughout the campaign. Despite that, he remained on the wrong end of history. According to analyst Shawn Iyer, the rookie finished with an 18.9 QBR, the worst in Cleveland’s franchise history with a minimum of 6 starts.
This opens a window for Watson to start making predictions. But whether everything will go well is something only time will tell.
