Quarterback Shedeur Sanders staked his claim for the Cleveland Browns’ starting job during the team’s OTAs and minicamp. Sanders is locked in a QB1 battle with veteran quarterback Deshaun Watson, who made his return from a ruptured Achilles, which caused him to miss significant portions of the last two seasons of action.
NFL Insider Addresses Deshaun Watson’s QB1 Battle With Shedeur Sanders
During Friday’s segment of the “Rich Eisen Show,” NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero addressed the conundrum facing the Browns over starting Watson over Sanders.
“Cleveland, this is going to be more interesting than I think people might be thinking that it is on paper, because you have a player in Deshaun Watson who is still getting paid. He’s in the final year of that five-year, $230 million contract,” Pelissero said. “He’s going to be on the team, but he’s played 19 games over the past five seasons combined.
“There’s no precedent for anything like that. They know what Deshaun Watson has been in the past. They’ve seen him play winning football. They got to see when he goes out there, and it’s live, and he’s actually in game action, and he’s got people frankly heckling him and yelling stuff at him, and everything’s moving faster. How does he respond?”
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Pelissero further addressed Sanders’ standing within the Browns’ coaching setup after impressive performances during the team’s OTAs and minicamp.
“And with Shedeur Sanders, from what I’ve been told, there really was growth through the spring. He did improve,” Pelissero said. “Is that enough to be able to catch Deshaun Watson?
“I would tell you this: the coaches came away and, of course, a new staff there with Todd Monken as the head coach, they came away thinking they got two guys they can go out there and play with. Which one of these guys rises? This is a true competition, I believe, as well in Cleveland.”
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After being traded to the Browns from the Houston Texans in 2022, Watson has had a stop-start career in Cleveland. He was suspended for the first 11 games of the season due to the sexual harassment allegations. In addition, he missed 11 games in 2023 due to a rotator cuff injury, which led to season-ending surgery.
Watson suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in 2024, which caused him to miss the last 10 games of the season. In 2025, he re-ruptured his right Achilles tendon, forcing him to miss the whole 2025 season.
In his absence, the Browns drafted Dillon Gabriel (No. 94) and Sanders (No. 144) in the 2025 NFL Draft to boost their quarterback room. Initially, Gabriel served as Joe Flacco’s backup before the veteran was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals, forcing him into QB1 duties.
Ultimately, Sanders ascended to the Browns’ QB1 role after Gabriel suffered a concussion. Sanders finished last season with 1,400 passing yards on 56.6% completion, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, earning a PFN QB Impact score of 63.0, which was second-worst in the league.
