The competition to be the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback next season is on, and it may be down to two players. Most reports have said that Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders will battle to be QB1, while Dillon Gabriel is reportedly in a distant third place.
Nathan Zegura believes that Watson is “very much” in the mix to be the team’s starter because he’s the only QB on the roster that has played at a high level in the NFL.
He cast doubt on Gabriel’s chances and stated that this is a “two-horse race.”
“I think Deshaun Watson is very much in the mix in that competition. He’s the one guy we’ve seen play at a high level in the National Football League. Shedeur [Sanders] showed a lot of flashes last year. We saw some really, really good from him. We saw some not-so-good from him as well. I think [Dillon Gabriel] can be a very effective game manager. He’s not somebody, at least at this stage in his career, going to win you a lot of games, but he’s not going to lose you a lot of games. I do think it’s probably more of a two-horse race there,” Zegura said.
"I think Deshaun Watson is very much in the mix in that competition, he's the one guy we've seen play at a high level in the National Football League," – @NathanZegura on the Browns QB competition. pic.twitter.com/joSNdPdFwY
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) April 10, 2026
Although the Browns met this week for a voluntary program, it didn’t provide much clarity about who has the best chance at being the team’s quarterback in 2026.
A real update on this situation probably won’t come for a couple of months, when the Browns will come together again for a mini training camp. By then, head coach Todd Monken will have a much better idea about who can lead his offense.
If Watson does win the job, it’ll be a stunning turn after some people had written him off entirely. Due to his injuries, controversies, and huge salary, some Browns fans were ready to put an end to the Watson era. But if Monken thinks he’s the right fit for QB1, they could be seeing a lot more of him next year.
As for Sanders, if he loses out on this role, it’ll be a big blow after starting for the latter half of last season. But if he is able to come out on top, that will say a lot about the team’s faith in him. Outdoing a proven veteran would be a massive accomplishment.
No matter who Monken chooses to be the team’s starting quarterback next year, he is going to hear opinions and some pushback.
NEXT: Analyst Believes Browns Can Transform Offense With One Draft Move
