The Cleveland Browns will have Deshaun Watson back in 2026. The quarterback, who’s in the final year of his contract, recovered from an Achilles injury and will compete for the starting job for the season even if Shedeur Sanders finished the year with a win.
Deshaun Watson’s Contract Doesn’t Guarantee He’s the Browns’ 2026 Starter Ahead of Shedeur Sanders
Watson holds a cap hit of $45 million in 2026, and on paper, he’s the best quarterback on the roster. While his 2022 trade proved to be a magnificent failure for Cleveland, the hard truth is that the Browns don’t have a better answer to play in 2026.
This is why, even if the results of the trade couldn’t have been worse, he still has a chance to start in 2026. But his mega-deal isn’t a guarantee he’ll be the No. 1 quarterback unless he earns it.
Ken Carman and Anthony Lima argued on “The Ken Carman Show” that, with the trade results already out, the Browns will play whoever gives them a better chance:
[From 4:08 to 6:08] “Money is not the issue here. The money is already spent. I’m nervous about it, because it would be easy to go ‘well, he’s getting paid $46 million, he should be the quarterback of the Cleveland Browns.’ That’s the easy out to all this. […] They’re gonna go with whoever they think helps them win football games.”
The Browns won’t be able to fix the quarterback position in the 2026 draft unless they can strike gold. With the sixth overall pick, the No. 1 quarterback in the class, Fernando Mendoza, is all but guaranteed to become a member of the Las Vegas Raiders with the first overall pick. The value of the other quarterbacks isn’t impressive.
The Browns hold the sixth overall pick in the 2026 draft.
Shedeur Sanders finished the 2025 season as the starter in Cleveland. They’ll now hope to see a better performance from him, as he finished his rookie season with 1,400 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
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The quarterback position was a huge problem for the Browns. Sanders finished as No. 46 in our PFSN QB Impact Metric, while fellow Dillon Gabriel was ranked as No. 47. Part of the reason for Kevin Stefanski’s firing was his inability to elevate quarterback play from Sanders and Gabriel.
Fans won’t be pleased with the possibilities at quarterback, but if they can’t find answers in 2026, at least the 2027 class looks more promising for teams that need a franchise quarterback. Still, Browns fans will be ready to remind you that their suffering goes much longer than a few years.
