Deshaun Watson surprisingly had the inside track to win the Cleveland Browns starting quarterback job earlier this offseason, but Shedeur Sanders’ impressive OTA performance appears to have tightened up the competition. Watson is reportedly looking healthier than he has in quite some time and Sanders has made improvements as well, so whoever wins the job, the Browns should hopefully be in decent hands.
Pro Football Focus may project Watson to be the worst starting QB in the NFL, but somewhere deep down that former superstar is still in there. It’s up to him and head coach Todd Monken to coax it out of him and help him overcome what one insider believes will be a big challenge for him along the way if he does win the starting gig.
During a recent episode of The Insiders on NFL Network, Steve Wyche stressed that if Watson is the starter, his leadership is going to have to be top-notch because of all the young and unproven around him in this offense. GM Andrew Berry went offense-heavy early in the 2026 draft, and if Watson is going to succeed, he is going to have to help develop these rookies right out of the gate.
“Should Deshaun Watson win this, he’s going to have to be the veteran of this football team. He’s going to have to have a lot of very young players succeed on the offensive line, two rookie wide receivers to go with Jerry Jeudy. These young players are going to have to step up for Deshaun Watson to show if he still has anything left,” said Wyche.
Watson has the talent to be so much better than the 32nd-best starter in the NFL. He also has a ton of talent around him, which wasn’t the case during his first three years as this team’s starter.
The offensive line is a work in progress, but the line should be at least above average in 2026 as long as all the new faces can find some common ground and come together as a cohesive unit. KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston are going to be impact players right away alongside a hopefully-reinvigorated Jeudy and sophomore sensation tight end Harold Fannin Jr.
To make things even easier, Monken loves to lean on the running game and should rely heavily on second-year back Quinshon Judkins to potentially be the engine of this offense. There are so many pieces in place for Watson to ease into this role and not have to feel like he has to set the world on fire right out of the gate.
There is an infrastructure building, and if Watson can gradually get back close to what he once was, this offense could truly surprise some people.
NEXT: Analyst Sends A Stern Warning To NFL About Browns' Defense
