The whole idea of quarterback competitions is getting old for Cleveland Browns fans. The position has been an absolute mess for years since the Deshaun Watson trade, but it’s looking like he is going to get one final shot to be the starter in 2026 to finally give the team some return on investment.
However, it’s not set in stone, as Shedeur Sanders is still applying pressure on him in OTAs to make the decision hard on new head coach Todd Monken. Monken likely wants to have a decision made sooner rather than later to avoid dragging out another QB competition like the team did last year, and one analyst recently named what could help make this decision much easier once training camp rolls around.
During a recent episode of Afternoon Drive on 92.3 The Fan, NFL Network’s Cynthia Frelund spoke about what the big looming question is in this QB controversy. She noted that we haven’t seen Watson move in years and said that training camp will be truly revealing of whether or not he is physically capable of playing at a high level once again.
“Here’s the real question. We haven’t seen Deshaun move in a while. He hasn’t been hit in a while. Training camp is going to be extremely revealing because we do know Shedeur is a heck of an athlete,” said Frelund.
"Here's the real question. We haven't seen Deshaun move in a while. He hasn't been hit in a while. Training camp is going to be extremely revealing because we do know Shedeur is a heck of an athlete."
🚨 @cfrelund w/@NickWilsonSays and @JPeterlin on the #Browns quarterback… pic.twitter.com/yTgEr9lJgd
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) June 5, 2026
Multiple reports have indicated that Watson has looked great in OTAs, but training camp and preseason action will be a big step up in intensity. It would be ideal to name a starter before then, but Watson’s health and athleticism is such a question mark that it might be irresponsible to not at least wait and see what he can do when the pads are on and defenders can actually hit him.
Watson was taking all the first-team reps in OTAs until this week, when Sanders had a day as the QB1. We still don’t know if it was done because the competition is actually closer than most believed or if Monken just wanted to get an extended look at the youngster to help him in his decision-making process.
It’s never easy being a Browns fan and hopefully this QB situation gets resolved ASAP. It’s definitely better than the four-man competition of last offseason, but it’s still getting old having to go through this again.
NEXT: Getting The No. 1 Pick Is Harder For The Browns Than Everyone Thinks
