A 12 months ago, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam admitted that acquiring quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Texans in 2022 was a “big swing and miss” for his franchise. Despite on- and off-field issues, the Browns haven’t been in a position to escape Watson’s onerous contract. With Watson guaranteed to return for a fifth Cleveland season in 2026, Haslam is leaving the door open for him to reclaim his former role as its starting signal-caller.
Watson has not taken the sector since he ruptured his Achilles in Week 7 of the 2024 season. The three-time Pro Bowler re-ruptured it through the recovery process, keeping him out all of last 12 months. Watson has since received medical clearance, per Zac Jackson of The Athletic. He’s now present at voluntary workouts under recent head coach Todd Monken, who has been impressed along with his quarterbacks thus far (as Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com notes, the Browns are allowed to show their playbook during workouts).
“You couldn’t ask for a greater start for the quarterbacks (on Monday). I used to be fired up,” Monken said.
Together with Watson, the Browns have Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel as in-house options under center. The Browns used a 2025 third-round pick on Gabriel, who got the primary crack at starting after they traded Joe Flacco to the Bengals in early October. The left-handed Gabriel struggled mightily before suffering a concussion in Week 11. Sanders, a fifth-rounder last 12 months, took over after Gabriel’s injury and held the job for the remaining of the season.
Although he received a Pro Bowl invitation as an alternate, Sanders didn’t offer strong production as a rookie. The previous Colorado star connected on 56.5% of passes, averaged 6.6 yards per attempt, and threw more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (seven). He posted an unpleasant 68.1 passer rating and an excellent worse 18.9 QBR in the method.
Barring an out of doors acquisition (perhaps via the draft), Watson, Sanders and Gabriel are poised to compete for the Browns’ QB1 gig in the approaching months. Watson is essentially the most established of the three, but Zac Jackson of The Athletic contends that Sanders is the favourite to win the job. With the Browns in a rebuild, it could make sense to offer the 24-year-old a possibility to sink or swim. The team would then have a greater idea of whether to draft a QB in what ought to be a deeper class next 12 months.
Unless Watson overtakes Sanders and puts together a renaissance season in 2026, it would likely be the 30-year-old’s swan song in Cleveland. Watson is entering the ultimate season of a totally guaranteed pact that has been a nightmare for the Browns. At the fee of $230MM and a handful of draft picks, including three first-rounders, Watson has given the Browns lackluster play over just 19 starts.