Glenn Kaplan
It isn’t an NFL offseason without a Cleveland Browns quarterback battle. During the offseason last year, the Browns quarterback competition was between Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, Kenny Pickett, and Joe Flacco. This offseason, it appears as if Sanders or Deshaun Watson is going to be the front runner for the starting job.
Watson did not play in a single game during the 2025 NFL season because of injury. He is in the final year of his contract. It would be a surprise if the Browns made him the starting quarterback after he missed the entire 2025 NFL season. When Watson was acquired in a trade in 2022 from the Houston Texans, Cleveland signed him to a big contract. This contract did not pan out well.
Well, there are many Cleveland fans who want to see Sanders be the starter over Watson. Mandatory minicamps were last week. One of the major questions for the Browns is Watson or Sanders the front runner to win the starting job?
Cleveland Browns NFL insider wonders who will win starting job
Daniel Oyefusi of espn.com covers the Browns organization. He learned quite a few things from the Browns mandatory minicamp last week. Oyefusi believes that the quarterback evaluation is incomplete. He said, “The Browns will leave offseason workouts with their biggest question unanswered: Who will start at quarterback?
Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders split first-team reps, and Monken was pleased with what he saw from both passers. However, he’s holding off on naming a starter, mainly because he wants to see the two play in more game-like settings.
Both Watson and Sanders had their moments during OTAs and minicamp. Watson looks healthy from not only his Achilles tear but a shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery in November 2023. He appeared to be more willing to push the ball downfield than the last time he played competitive football.
Sanders looked more poised in Monken’s offense as time went on, and coaches lauded improvements in his footwork and processing. Monken, though, acknowledged it’s important to evaluate Watson and Sanders in practices with pads on, a more lively pass rush and possibly even preseason games before he decides on who will start”
It is not a surprise that the Browns have not named a starting quarterback yet. Head coach Todd Monken would like to name a starter before the start of training camp. However, there is a good chance that it may not be the case. Watson and Sanders are probably going to split the reps once again with the first team in training camp. Gabriel did start a few games last season for Cleveland, but he is not in the starting competition.
Future Browns Quarterback is probably not on the roster
There is a reason why the Browns always go through a quarterback competition year in and year out. They don’t have a true franchise quarterback on the roster. No matter who wins the job between Watson and Sanders, they are both going to start for only a season or maybe less anyways.
Cleveland is probably going to finish with another 5-12 record this season. General manager Andrew Berry has the draft capital to make a move in the 2027 NFL Draft to find a franchise quarterback. A lot of Browns fans believe that the franchise quarterback is not on the roster. Berry has drafted well over the last two seasons. He is building out the rest of the roster before finding its long-term quarterback answer.
If Watson or Sanders had a big 2026 NFL season, it might force Berry’s hand to do something different than what he originally had planned. The truth is, don’t expect a big year from either quarterback.
