The 2026 regular season remains to be four-plus months from kicking off, but first-year Browns head coach Todd Monken<\/strong> desires to discover his starting quarterback by the tip of the team\u2019s June September 11 minicamp, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com<\/a> reports. Monken still has several weeks to make his alternative, but Deshaun Watson<\/strong> currently has the \u201cedge\u201d over Shedeur Sanders<\/strong>, in accordance with Cabot.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n This comes as a surprise after Sanders seemed to be the frontrunner three weeks ago. As a fifth-round pick last yr, Sanders finished his rookie season because the Browns\u2019 starter. Despite posting poor numbers, Sanders earned a Pro Bowl invite as an alternate. Meanwhile, Watson has not taken the sector since he ruptured his Achilles on Oct. 20, 2024. The three-time Pro Bowler ruptured it again in January 2025, forcing him to miss all of last season.<\/p>\n The Browns made perhaps the worst trade in league history after they sent 4 picks (three first-rounders and a third-rounder) to the Texans for Watson in March 2022. They immediately handed Watson a completely guaranteed $230MM over five years, which has gone down as one other disastrous decision.<\/p>\n While facing widespread sexual misconduct allegations, Watson opened his Browns tenure serving an 11-game suspension for violating the league\u2019s personal conduct policy. Injuries have held him to simply 19 starts since then. The Browns have gone 9-10 with Watson on the helm. To worsen matters, they’ve been forced to repeatedly restructure his bloated contract. They did so for the fourth time last month.<\/p>\n Although Watson\u2019s deal will finally expire after this season, the Browns will still spread an $86.2MM dead money charge from 2027-28. Owner Jimmy Haslam<\/strong>, who has paid a cripplingly expensive price for nearly no production from Watson, admitted last April that acquiring him was a \u201cbig swing and miss.\u201d Over a yr later, though, the Haslams (Jimmy and wife Dee<\/strong>) are making a behind-the-scenes push for Watson to begin, Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom<\/a> relays.<\/p>\n \u201cJimmy Haslam has paid this guy $180MM and he\u2019s got nothing to indicate for it,\u201d<\/em> one general manager told La Canfora. \u201cHe\u2019s attempting to get blood from a stone but it surely\u2019s not going to work. Watson is finished.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n If Watson proves to be \u201cdone,\u201d it could eventually result in opportunities for Sanders and\/or the remaining of the Browns\u2019 signal-callers. Dillon Gabriel<\/strong> and 2026 sixth-rounder Taylen Green<\/strong> are also within the team\u2019s QBs room, but it surely doesn’t appear they’re under serious consideration for the starting gig. Moderately, they’re vying for a \u201cdevelopmental spot,\u201d Cabot writes. It’s more likely Gabriel and Green will receive third- and fourth-team work, leaving Watson and Sanders to divide the starting reps.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.profootballrumors.com\/files\/2025\/06\/USATSI_25118142-200x300.jpg\")
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