The Cleveland Browns made a mildly surprising decision when head coach Todd Monken announced that he would not name a starting quarterback coming out of the final minicamp. Monken had said that he wanted to have either Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders in place to open training camp.
However, the QB battle has been extended and could last into the Browns’ preseason games. Watson held what looked to be an insurmountable lead for most of the minicamps and OTAs, but Sanders reportedly closed the gap over the final few weeks of spring practices.
Keeping the job open may be a true reflection of where the competition stands, or it could have been a ploy to motivate Watson. Either way, it seems to have pushed the veteran to try even harder.
Analyst Jonathan Peterlin is giving Watson credit for his offseason approach, saying that his working out at the team facility during this time off is an encouraging sign.
“The optics of this, at least, is good. It at least seems like he’s taking it serious. He believes he needs to do work in order to get out ahead of Shedeur Sanders. That’s what this tells me more than anything. He knows he’s got to put in the work. He can’t just show up and beat Shedeur. There’s a serious nature to this that I think he’s starting to take this with. I do respect it. I don’t think it’s gonna matter in the long run. I don’t think he’s gonna win the job in the long run, but I do like that,” Peterlin said.
"The optics of this at least are good. It really seems like he's taking it serious. He believes he needs to do work in order to get out ahead of Shedeur Sanders. That's what this tells me more than anything."
🚨 @JPeterlin and @RuiterWrongFAN on Deshaun Watson training at the… https://t.co/kOPPHC2xKp pic.twitter.com/yeygYpPTmG
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) July 2, 2026
With one season remaining on his $230 million guaranteed contract, Watson could have taken the easy way out after being sidelined since October 2024 by two Achilles injuries. About to turn 31 years old in September, he could have conceded that his career was likely over and moved on to something else, but he did not.
It is impossible to reach the heights Watson did as a national champion at Clemson and early in his NFL career with the Houston Texans without having an exceptional internal drive. That does not go away so easily for a professional athlete, and Watson likely knew that this was his last chance to prove his many critics wrong and extend his playing days.
In addition to his workouts in Berea, Watson plans to hold a passing camp for his teammates in Florida before the full training camp opens later this month. Sanders is also expected to be in attendance, rather than hold a similar session somewhere else.
It seems both quarterbacks are doing everything they can to have the best 2026 season possible, and the Browns have to be somewhat optimistic that it will pay off on the field.
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