The Cleveland Browns are at a crossroads with their quarterback situation. Between Deshaun Watson, who is signed to a massive contract, and Shedeur Sanders, who showed some flashes of brilliance in his rookie season, it’s not like the team is spoiled with elite choices.
However, recent reports suggest the organization is leaning toward the former Houston Texans star. For one analyst, though, that is a direct consequence of bad ownership from Jimmy Haslam.
Jimmy Haslam Might Be Forcing Deshaun Watson Over Shedeur Sanders
Last season, Sanders finally got the starting job after things didn’t work out with Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel. The former was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals, while an injury to the latter gave Sanders the opportunity.
He made the most of it, starting the final seven games of the season for the Browns. In that span, he averaged less than 200 passing yards per game while recording more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (7) thrown.
As a result, he finished as the fourth-worst-ranked player on PFSN’s QB Impact Metric. Still, Sanders’ pedigree and collegiate performance have made many analysts believers in the second-generation superstar, including Skip Bayless.
But the Browns aren’t as certain, leading to reports of an ongoing quarterback battle that might extend into the offseason, with Watson having the edge over Sanders, at least for the time being.
The veteran analyst broke down the situation developing with the Browns’ quarterback room on the latest episode of “The Arena: Gridiron.”
“To me, this confirms my deepest fears for a Shedeur Sanders I love,” Bayless confessed. He then talked about how Haslam himself convinced the team to draft Sanders after the quarterback’s historic draft slide in 2025.
“I believe Jimmy Haslam, who does run the Browns and is sort of a Jerry Jones wannabe, I believe he was the one who jumped in and said, ‘Take him [Sanders], we might need him as a side show.'” However, he also saw the reality of Haslam’s gamble on Watson.
“Jimmy Haslam paid $230 million guaranteed for Deshaun Watson over five years, and he still owes him $46 million for next year,” Bayless added. “So, Jimmy Haslam, his pride is now on the line. And I believe that Jimmy Haslam badly wants Deshaun Watson to be the starting quarterback and a successful starting quarterback next year to prove him ultimately right. So he can say, ‘See, I told you he could do this.'”
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As a result, he attributed the latest developments coming out of Cleveland to that onus from Haslam. “I believe that Mary Kay Cabot, who’s been covering the Cleveland Browns for almost 40 years, is getting this straight from the horse’s mouth.”
Explaining, he added, “I believe she is so connected, so plugged in. Remember, she’s not a columnist, she’s a reporter. So this is not her opinion, the way I would express my opinion,” he continued. “She is plugged in to Jimmy Haslam and his wife, who also has a big say in the franchise. And I believe she’s just this, she’s the messenger.”
As a result, he didn’t see a world where his guy, Sanders, stood a realistic chance of starting under center for the Browns. “Jimmy Haslam is moving forward with Deshaun Watson. And I believe the new head coach, who wants to make an early splash, is moving forward with Deshaun because he started 72 NFL games.”
Yet Watson ranked 39th on QBi in 2024 and is coming off a torn Achilles tendon that caused him to miss the entire 2025 season. As a result, even though he might sound like the safer choice, there is no guarantee about how his performance is going to look next season.
It remains to be seen who emerges as the winner of the quarterback battle in Cleveland. But from the way Bayless frames it, it seems clear that the decision could have some influence from the owner directly.
