Deshaun Watson could end up being Cleveland Browns starting QB in 2026, according to one notable NFL insider
Quarterback is the most important position in football, and as things stand right now, the Cleveland Browns don't know who their starter is going to be in 2026.
Currently, Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel reside on the roster, but they could explore adding a signal caller in free agency, via trade, or in next month's NFL Draft.
Whatever they decide to do, the situation has continually been framed as an open competition for the starting job, with Sanders and Watson seemingly the headliners at the moment.
And while there's plenty of hope that Sanders can build upon an intriguing rookie season, win the job and become Cleveland's franchise QB, one insider revealed that path is hardly a guarantee.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, there is some real smoke percolating out of Berea, Ohio, that Watson could end up being the team's Week 1 starter.
"Shedeur Sanders, they have Deshaun Watson and by the way, let me say this," began Schefter during his visit to the Pat McAfee show this week. "There are people out there, and we'll see how it unfolds, but there are people out there, who believe Deshaun Watson could very well be the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns on opening day."
A lot still has to happen before the Browns name anyone, Watson, Sanders or anyone else, their starting QB. 2wBut as new head coach Todd Monken highlighted at the NFL Combine, there is internal hope that his new staff can pull the top 5 QB that Watson once was out of him again.
Considering it's been nearly six years since Watson was that caliber of a player, though, it feels like a big if at the moment.
Still, there were reports out of the facility late in the season when Watson had returned to practice off of a ruptured Achilles, that he looked like the most talented of the Browns' QB options at the time. That group featured both Sanders and Gabriel, as well as practice squad veteran Bailey Zappe.
Watson's supreme talent may just be enough for him to win the job outright this spring and summer and as Schefter noted, some seem to think it will.
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