What 2025 showed for the Cleveland Browns, other than the fact that they desperately need offensive help, is that Shedeur Sanders was the best of their three starters that season. As a result, the former Colorado QB was expected to be the frontrunner for the job this season unless Cleveland drafted a first-round quarterback.
That didn’t happen, as Cleveland didn’t take a QB until the sixth round, but Sanders is no longer the frontrunner. It’s Deshaun Watson, according to multiple reports following voluntary minicamp, and if that news wasn’t bad enough for Sanders, another setback may be on the way.
NFL Insider Claims Deshaun Watson And Todd Monken Have Hit It Off
The Browns had two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, but with Fernando Mendoza being the only franchise-caliber quarterback available and taken by the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 1 overall, they had little incentive to draft a quarterback early. Instead, Cleveland chose to wait until 2027 for a stronger class and let Sanders and Watson compete for the job.
Watson hasn’t played since suffering an Achilles tear in Week 7 of the 2024 season, but multiple reports following voluntary minicamp claimed he had emerged as the frontrunner after impressing in practice.
Now, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Sunday on SportsCenter that not only does Watson understand Monken’s system better, but he has also hit it off with the former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator.
“[Deshaun Watson] will be a factor in OTAs when they start going with first-team reps, second-team reps,” Fowler said, via Bleacher Report. “So, he’s been a factor already on the practice field. I’m told he’s hit it off with Todd Monken, who’s got an offensive concept, some elements that Watson has run in the past and been his best at; a little bit of a departure from what they were running with Kevin Stefanski.”
“So, talking to people around the league, they believe that Watson could eventually earn this job because he’s a veteran presence and if he can get back to just 70 or 80 percent of what he was from those Houston days, maybe they can sort of salvage this trade; get one productive year out of him,” Fowler added.
Watson made three straight Pro Bowls in his final three playing seasons with the Houston Texans. But after sitting out a year following a trade request in 2021, the former Clemson star eventually got his wish when the Cleveland Browns acquired him for three first-round picks next offseason.
Cleveland then handed him a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million extension, but since then, due to injuries and suspensions, he has never started more than 7 games in a season, and his play also declined to below-average levels.
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While owner Jimmy Haslam publicly called the decision a “hit and a miss” last offseason, Cleveland still hasn’t managed to move on from Watson’s contract. With the veteran carrying nearly a $45 million cap hit in 2026, it’s not hard to see why the Browns are open to him starting the season.
But it’s ultimately a gamble, given Watson is now more than five seasons removed from his last Pro Bowl appearance, and if it backfires again, fans will likely turn on the organization.
Sanders, meanwhile, spent the back half of his rookie season doing what most young quarterbacks are never asked to do: survive. Seven starts, a 56.6 completion percentage, 1,400 passing yards, and a PFSN Quarterback Impact score (56.7), which ranked fourth-worst in the league.
However, the Browns’ wide receiver room caught just four touchdown passes all season. The offensive line also surrendered 51 sacks. Cleveland was, in short, a construction site, with a signal-caller trying to operate in the rubble.
But that may no longer be the case after the 2026 NFL Draft, and given the flashes Sanders showed as a rookie, it will be interesting to see how he performs with a much stronger supporting cast.
For now, the competition remains open, and the Browns appear focused on the quarterback who gives them the best chance to win in Week 1. That may ultimately be Watson, but the long-term outlook may favor Sanders.
With a significantly improved supporting cast, Sanders can build upon the upside he showed in 2025 and potentially establish himself as the Browns’ long-term answer. But if he struggles again, Watson becomes the logical fallback option while the Browns potentially reset at quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft.
