Jason Lloyd has seen enough of the Cleveland Browns’ Deshaun Watson experiment.
The Athletic writer argued Monday that Cleveland should have moved on from Watson long ago, and that Shedeur Sanders would be the better choice for the 2026 season, calling the organization’s continued commitment to Watson a “toxic marriage.”
Jason Lloyd Says Browns Should Have Moved On From Deshaun Watson
“I don’t believe either of these quarterbacks is the answer,” Lloyd wrote in his column. “But I’m on record that if I have to choose between Watson and Shedeur Sanders for this season, there is no comparison. In my mind, Sanders is the easy choice.”
Lloyd’s criticism went well beyond the current competition.
“Watson is not an NFL quarterback anymore,” he wrote, “and he’s only here because the organization stubbornly refuses to end this toxic marriage.”
He argued Cleveland had its cleanest opportunity to move on after Watson tore his Achilles in October 2024, even if cutting him would have created massive salary cap consequences.
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Lloyd also revisited what he had previously reported from inside the organization following the injury. He wrote that members of the Browns told him it “felt like a cloud had been lifted” once Watson was no longer around the team.
“The cloud is back,” Lloyd wrote.
That is Lloyd’s characterization, not an official Browns assessment. Cleveland publicly reached the opposite conclusion Monday when head coach Todd Monken named Watson the Week 1 starter over Sanders.
Browns Still Believe Deshaun Watson Gives Them Best Chance
Monken said Cleveland evaluated the “full body of work” from the offseason, training camp, joint practices and preseason before choosing Watson. He said the veteran gave the Browns their best chance to move the ball and score points.
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The decision came despite Sanders producing the stronger line in Saturday’s 31-7 loss to Buffalo. Sanders completed nine of 11 passes for 74 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Watson went 5-of-12 for 36 yards with an interception.
Neither quarterback enters the season with a strong PFN profile.
Watson missed all of 2025 while recovering from Achilles surgeries, but his 2024 QB Impact score was 59.9, one of the lowest marks PFN has recorded since 2000. Sanders finished 2025 at 63.0, ranking 37th among 38 qualifying quarterbacks.
Lloyd’s larger complaint is that Cleveland’s commitment to Watson has outlived the logic behind it. The Browns traded three first-round picks for him in 2022 and gave him a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract, then watched injuries, suspension, and poor play define much of the deal.
Monken is giving Watson another chance anyway.
Lloyd believes that choice is less about finding the Browns’ answer and more about refusing to fully admit what the original decision became.
