A former QB for the Cleveland Browns believes Deshaun Watson should start over Shedeur Sanders next season.
A former Cleveland Browns QB believes Deshaun Watson should start over Shedeur Sanders to begin the 2026 season.
Brady Quinn thinks Cleveland should begin next season with Watson as the starter.
Suspension and injuries have limited Watson to 19 games since he arrived in Cleveland. Since making his Browns debut, Watson has posted a 33.1 Total QBR, which would be the lowest among qualified passers.
A Clemson product, Watson has 3,365 passing yards and 19 passing touchdowns with Cleveland. He's thrown 12 interceptions.
Watson has 17,904 passing yards and 123 passing touchdowns in the NFL with the Houston Texans and Browns. He was the 12th overall pick in the 2017 draft.
It's worth mentioning that the Browns did restructure Watson's contract at the start of this month. Cleveland freed up close to $36 million in cap space and made the team cap compliant.
Watson, who did not play in 2025 as he rehabbed an Achilles tear from the 2024 season, was set to have an $80.7 million cap hit in 2026, the largest in the NFL.
Sanders finished his rookie season with 1,400 passing yards, seven passing touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 169 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. He went 3-4 as a starter.
Sanders was named to the Pro Bowl as a replacement selection. He's one of the most popular players in the NFL because of who his dad is: Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.
Cleveland went 5-12 last season. Todd Monken replaces Kevin Stefanski, who was fired and joined the Atlanta Falcons as their new HC. While Watson and Sanders will compete in training for the starting job, Browns insider Zac Jackson of The Athletic feels "stronger than ever" that Sanders will start over Watson.
"I know the folks atop the Browns' organization publicly praised Deshaun Watson," Jackson wrote. "I wholeheartedly believe there’s excitement for Watson getting healthy and trying to come back from his injuries and previous failures in Cleveland.
"But I feel stronger than ever that Sanders, not Watson, is the favorite to win the starting job. Sanders is 24 and signed for three more seasons. He was never the team’s Plan A last season and might not be Plan A for the future, but giving Sanders every chance to win the job and make real progress is clearly the best option right now."
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