What in the world is happening in the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback battle between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders?
According to one longtime Browns observer and reporter, there might not be such a battle taking place before the 2026 NFL season kicks into high gear.
Browns Analyst Has Ideas on Who Will Start at QB
Tony Grossi, who covers the Browns and the NFL for ESPN Cleveland, had been connected as a longtime beat reporter covering the Browns for The Plain Dealer newspaper.
These days, Grossi still shows up not only for the ESPN Cleveland station where he works regularly, but on other NFL- and Browns-related shows, too. He recently sat down with NFL content creator JaKi to talk about not only the Browns, but also the quarterback battle, too.
“I think this is another year like last year where the most important stuff doesn’t concern the quarterback position,” Grossi said. “It’s developing young players at other positions continuing to lay the foundation of the next really good Browns team.
🔥 Shedeur. Bro is Back. Doesn’t Believe in Team. Watson Over S2 😭🤡
“This is another year like last year…Look forward to the ’27 Draft. Once pads come on Watson will emerge as starter. They view his ceiling as higher than Shedeur’s…” https://t.co/JYfNXECDRG pic.twitter.com/SkWaOI6tpw
— JaKi 🇺🇸 (@JaKiTruth) July 21, 2026
“And just letting the quarterback situation play out, and look forward to the 2027 draft,” Grossi continued. “But I do think that once they get into the padded practices, the second week of training camp, I think Watson will emerge as the starter if he’s healthy. I think they view his ceiling as higher than Shedeur’s.
“I think Watson is ahead,” Grossi said. “That doesn’t mean Shedeur can’t surprise me and win the job, but it would be a surprise to me if he did.”
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In the 2025 NFL season, Sanders started seven games as a rookie in a season where the Browns also gave starts to Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel. According to the PFSN NFL QB Impact Metrics, which are measured throughout the regular season, Sanders finished with a 63.0 grade. He threw for 1,400 yards with 7 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions.
Sanders had a 56.6% completion percentage and was sacked 23 times.
Watson didn’t play any games in the 2025 NFL season at all. The last time Watson appeared on an NFL field was back in the 2024 NFL season, where he played in just 7 games. Watson had 5 touchdown passes and 3 interceptions.
He not only has been dealing with injuries, but also off-the-field issues as well. Watson appears to be in good shape now and ready to focus on helping the Browns improve in the record department.
