The Cleveland Browns have officially named a starting quarterback. Veteran signal-caller Deshaun Watson has earned the starting job after a battle with youngster Shedeur Sanders. As a result, Watson will lead the offense in Week 1.
The Browns’ decision certainly drew a ton of attention. There were many fans of Sanders around the football world. But recent comments from Watson about the Cleveland fan base also complicated the situation.
Regardless of how anyone feels, Watson is the starting quarterback. But this may not be the case for long. One Pro Football Hall of Famer sees a very short leash for the veteran quarterback in Todd Monken’s offense.
Hall of Famer Sends Warning to Deshaun Watson After Browns QB Battle
Pro Football Hall of Famer Cris Carter hosted an episode of the “Fully Loaded Podcast” recently.
In this episode, the topic of the Browns and their quarterback battle came up. Carter revealed that he does not believe Cleveland will give him much leeway this year.
“I mean, it’s got to be relatively quick. Like, if he does not have the typical first month of the season. And with not playing with a lot of starters in the preseason, man, you don’t know what you’re going to see in Week 1. So, I believe he’s probably got six quarters, seven bad quarters in him. So, if he plays bad the first game, and at halftime of the second game, you can look for them because they’re at the end of the rope on this.” Carter said.
While many have expressed doubt over Watson’s ability, Carter said he believed in the veteran signal-caller.
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However, given the circumstances, he understands why the Browns could be less lenient with him in 2026.
“It’s the last year of the contract, last year of the guaranteed money. Those picks aren’t ever coming back. But I am gonna say that in the spring I thought he had some football left in him and I thought he was going to be better than Shedeur. I didn’t think the margin would be as wide as it is, given all the other things,” Carter said.
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Watson has not played a snap of regular-season football since 2024. He tore his Achilles tendon that season, ending his year after seven games. The Browns quarterback had the worst QB Impact rating in the league that season, according to PFSN’s in-house metric.
The Browns have two young quarterbacks (Sanders and Dillon Gabriel) waiting in the wings.
If Watson falters, Monken could certainly go with one of the upstarts on the depth chart. It will certainly be intriguing to see how it all plays out this year.
Cleveland begins its 2026 season on September 13 on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
