In the end, it may not matter all that much who the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback is this season. The choice between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders leaves so much to be desired that neither one may be able to coax the Browns to a winning season.
Cleveland is considered to have one of the worst quarterback situations in the league, an opinion that can be supported by stats, if necessary. That’s to say nothing about off-field concerns and what any decisions and results this year may reveal about the Browns’ plans for the next few years.
Pro Football Focus has listed the 32 starting quarterbacks heading into the 2026 season, and using Watson as Cleveland’s representative, the Browns veteran was dead last in those NFL QB rankings.
“Two torn Achilles tendons prevented Watson from taking a single snap in 2025. It was the fifth straight season in which he logged fewer than 300 dropbacks. While he has a chance to win the starting job under new head coach Todd Monken, Watson has struggled during his time in Cleveland. From 2022 to 2024, he recorded a 60.7 PFF passing grade while averaging just 6.0 yards per attempt,” Dalton Wasserman and Max Chadwick wrote.
Watson has not officially been named Cleveland’s starter for this season, as head coach Todd Monken opted to extend his competition against Sheduer Sanders into training camp. The battle could go on until preseason games.
With that in mind, PFF included Sanders as an honorable mention selection in these rankings. He is included with other potential starters, Fernando Mendoza of the Las Vegas Raiders, Michael Penix Jr. of the Atlanta Falcons, and J.J. McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings.
“New head coach Todd Monken is holding an open quarterback competition between Sanders and Deshaun Watson. Neither has played well recently, but Sanders hopes to make significant strides after a turbulent rookie season. Sanders’ 42.3 PFF passing grade ranked second-worst among 43 qualifying quarterbacks. Lauded for his accuracy in college, Sanders finished the 2025 season with a 69.8% adjusted completion percentage, which ranked sixth-worst among that same group,” Wasserman and Chadwick wrote.
Watson will turn 31 in September and has not played in an NFL game since October 2024. He has appeared in just seven games since November 2023, and in just 19 of 68 possible games since arriving in Cleveland in 2022 after a trade with the Houston Texans.
Sanders made seven starts as a rookie last season and did little to overcome his status as a fifth-round pick from the 2025 NFL Draft. He has been praised for his noticeable improvement during minicamps and OTAs, but he is also a rumored trade target who may not still be with the Browns in Week 1.
Without a clear choice that would guarantee success, the Browns are likely to look for a new quarterback from the talented class in the 2027 NFL Draft.
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