It’s never fun to have a quarterback competition, but the Cleveland Browns haven’t had much of a choice over the past few years. At least this year, there are only two candidates, which is half as many as last season, so at this rate next season there will be only one viable candidate.
Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders are going back and forth in their quest for QB1 duties, and after Sanders’ reportedly impressive OTA session, the competition has tightened up quite a bit. Many fans are fed up with the situation and are begging for new head coach Todd Monken to make a decision, but one analyst believes Monken is taking the right approach so far.
During a recent conversation on 92.3 The Fan, Maliq Hicks discussed the current QB competition. He noted he doesn’t have a problem with the way the Browns are going about it because both players need to be pushed.
He also believes that Sanders should be the Browns’ QB1.
“I don’t have a problem with seeing this thing play itself out because I think it pushes Deshaun, it pushes Shedeur. I would have liked to see them hand Shedeur the keys earlier just because I feel like not only with his trajectory and potential, that I’d really like to see him at the helm as quarterback this year,” said Hicks.
“I don’t have a problem with seeing this thing play itself out because I think it pushes Deshaun, it pushes Shedeur. I would have liked to see them hand Shedeur the keys earlier…”
➡️ @MaliqHicks and @earldapearl_216 on the #Browns QB competition heading into training camp pic.twitter.com/wrOswdvdIL
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) July 5, 2026
The QB competition is by far the biggest question facing this team at the moment. There is a lot of excitement about the rest of the team with a new offensive line, some fun explosive rookies being added to the offense, and an entirely new coaching staff. Even the Myles Garrett trade has most fans feeling alright due to the presence of Jared Verse.
It all comes down to QB where the entire season hinges on whether or not Watson and/or Sanders can generate even league-average production. Even though Pro Football Focus believes Watson will be the worst starting QB in the NFL, that superstar is still in there somewhere and hopefully he is finally healthy enough for it to come out for the first time in five years.
This topic has been evaluated every which way for months, yet we are no closer to knowing who Cleveland’s QB is going to be. The likely outcome is that both of them will see time at some point, which could be the best-case scenario because the front office absolutely has to go into 2027 knowing if the team already has its franchise quarterback or if it’s time to go hunting again in the 2027 draft.
NEXT: Analyst Reveals What Actually Matters For Browns This Year
