Cleveland’s quarterback debate has effectively become two elections at once. The fans have their ballot. The Cleveland Browns’ building apparently has another.
Former NFL defensive lineman Breiden Fehoko pushed back Wednesday on chatter that Cleveland players wanted Shedeur Sanders over Deshaun Watson, saying his conversations inside the organization paint the opposite picture.
Breiden Fehoko Says Browns Are Behind Deshaun Watson
“I will never throw my sources under the bus. However, this is true,” Fehoko wrote in an X post. “I’ve talked to more than a handful of people in the Browns organization. Deshaun is the quarterback that the locker room, coaching staff, and front office supports.”
Fehoko added that anyone reporting otherwise was working with bad information. His wording matters because the Browns have never publicly announced a locker-room vote. Fehoko is relaying what he says he has heard from multiple people in the building, not quoting an official team survey.
I will never throw my sources under the bus. However, this is true. I’ve talked to more than a handful of people in the Browns organization. Deshaun is the quarterback that the locker room, coaching staff, and front office supports. Anyone reporting otherwise or “little birdies… https://t.co/BR5Jknb4v9
— Breiden Fehoko (@BreidenFehoko) August 26, 2026
The coaching staff’s position, at least, is no mystery anymore. Todd Monken named Watson Cleveland’s Week 1 starter Monday after spending the offseason rotating first-team work between Watson and Sanders.
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Monken said the decision came from the “full body of work” and that Watson gave Cleveland the best chance to move the ball and score points to open the season. He also made clear this was not designed as a week-to-week arrangement.
That is notable because Sanders gave the Browns something to think about against Buffalo. He completed 9 of 11 passes for 74 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, while Watson followed with 5 completions on 12 attempts for 36 yards and an interception.
Shedeur Sanders Has Publicly Backed Watson, Too
If there is a quarterback civil war inside Cleveland’s locker room, Sanders has done a convincing job hiding it.
After Watson was booed during Saturday’s preseason loss to Buffalo, Sanders defended his teammate.
“I don’t appreciate that at all,” Sanders said. “Regardless of competition, we’re all human beings.”
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He later described the quarterback room as a “unit” and said everyone should support whoever is playing. That does not prove which quarterback every teammate prefers, but it does cut against the idea that Sanders himself has been publicly fueling a Watson-versus-locker-room divide.
The football case is hardly overwhelming for either option. Sanders finished his rookie year with a 63.0 PFN QB Impact score, ranking 37th among 38 qualifying quarterbacks. Watson’s most recent qualifying season was 2024, when his 59.9 score ranked last in the NFL.
Cleveland still chose the veteran.
Watson will sit out Thursday’s preseason finale against the New England Patriots, as will Sanders. The Browns open Sept. 13 at Jacksonville, where the offseason argument finally stops being theoretical.
Fehoko’s message is that, whatever noise exists outside the building, Cleveland’s decision did not come from a quarterback room plotting against its starter.
