Many Cleveland Browns fans had hoped that the starting quarterback conundrum would be solved by now, but new head coach Todd Monken is taking a bit more time to come to a decision. Deshaun Watson had the inside track to winning the job earlier this offseason, but all reports suggest that Shedeur Sanders’ performance at OTAs was one of the main reasons why a decision has yet to be made.
Sanders made the competition tighter even though some believe it’s ultimately not going to matter. The longer this drags on, the more time everyone has to make their prediction about the outcome, which is what one former Brown recently did.
During a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, former Browns receiver Andrew Hawkins became the latest analyst to put his faith behind Watson. He believes a veteran like him doesn’t get beaten out in the offseason, but left the door open for Sanders potentially overthrowing him at some point during the season.
“I don’t think there’s a consensus quarterback that everybody wants for a bunch of different reasons. If you’re asking me who I think is the Day 1 starter, I think it’s going to be Deshaun Watson, just to be real. It’s not any indictment on anybody’s ability or what the young guys are going to be, especially Shedeur. I think with Deshaun Watson, as you go through camp, this is a guy who’s played at an extremely high level. Typically, you’re just not going to beat a veteran like that out in the offseason. I think they open up with Deshaun Watson, and then when the real bullets are flying, then they’re gonna really have to make a decision on, ‘Is this giving us the best option, or do we go back to Shedeur for that late game motivation that we saw him give the team last season,'” Hawkins said.
"I don't think there's a consensus pick that Browns fans want as their starting quarterback..
I think Deshaun Watson will be the day one starter"@Hawk #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/RgPPTk0Mnb
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 23, 2026
McAfee, on the other hand, is a Sanders guy but ultimately just wants to see the Browns do well after so many years of pain and anguish. It may not matter in the long run since Watson has started 19 games since 2020 and it would be a modern-day miracle if he could deliver 17 starts with above-average production in 2026.
The Browns also need to figure out once and for all what they have in Sanders ahead of the 2027 draft. Andrew Berry will have two first-round picks in what projects to be a loaded QB class if he wants to take another bite at the apple and go hunting for another franchise signal-caller, but if Sanders balls out, he is likely the only person who could thwart that plan.
Hawkins is likely correct, but training camp is just getting underway and we won’t know for sure until Monken sees these two in preseason action. The Browns need their starters to play preseason ball more than most teams do, and hopefully both QBs perform well to continue pushing each other to be great.
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