The biggest question for the Cleveland Browns heading into the 2026 season is who the starting quarterback will be between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders.
Throughout the offseason, training camp, and into the start of preseason, there has been back and forth on which quarterback is leading the competition. However, after the Browns’ first preseason game, former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky says Watson has the advantage.
Dan Orlovsky Identifies Shedeur Sanders’ Key to Overtake Deshaun Watson in Browns QB Competition
Orlovsky joined “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday to give his latest take on Cleveland’s quarterback competition, and he thinks there’s a clear advantage right now.
“[Going] off of one game… not going off of every day at practice, I’m not there, I would tell you Deshaun has the advantage, and it looks like a clear advantage to me,” Orlovsky said.
So, what does Sanders need to do to close the gap?
“I just want more urgency from Shedeur,” Orlovsky added.
@danorlovsky7 tells @PatMcAfeeShow that he needs to see “more urgency” from Shedeur Sanders in the upcoming weeks 👀 pic.twitter.com/0KlmdpVoUB
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) August 17, 2026
After 3 straight Pro Bowls with the Houston Texans, Watson hasn’t been the same player since. He also hasn’t played since 2024 after going 1-6 and has been out ever since. The veteran has played in just 19 games over four seasons since arriving in Cleveland.
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However, now the 30-year-old is healthy and reportedly leading the quarterback competition in Cleveland with sights set on starting Week 1.
On the other hand, there’s Sanders, who is in his second year in the league after making the Pro Bowl in his rookie season as an alternate selection.
The numbers didn’t jump off the page during Sanders’ rookie campaign, but there was definitely a different level of energy within the team, which went 3-4 during Sanders’ starts.
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The young quarterback threw for 1,400 yards and 7 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. He completed 56.6% of his passes with a 63.0 PFN QB impact score, which ranked second-worst at his position.
While Sanders was once thought of as a potential first-round draft pick, he slid to the Browns in the fifth round. In fact, Cleveland took another quarterback, Dillon Gabriel, before him in the same draft.
However, Sanders has played himself into competition to be the Week 1 starter for the Browns.
This Cleveland team looks a bit different from 2025, with new head coach Todd Monken and the trade of star defensive end Myles Garrett.
The Browns returned young star Jared Verse in the Garrett trade and bolstered their offensive line this offseason with the additions of Tytus Howard, Elgton Jenkins, and Zion Johnson, as well as using a first- and third-round pick on the position in the draft (Spencer Fano and Austin Barber, respectively).
