Deshaun Watson will take the field for the first time in nearly two years on Saturday when the Cleveland Browns open the 2026 preseason against the Chicago Bears. Fellow QB Shedeur Sanders will start next week against the Buffalo Bills, which should ideally give new head coach Todd Monken some much-needed intel to help him decide on a starting quarterback in Week 1.
This will hopefully be the last QB battle in Cleveland for quite some time, and with Dillon Gabriel pushing for more reps in camp, trade rumors have been resurfacing as it’s no guarantee the Browns will go into the regular season with Watson, Sanders, and Gabriel all on the active roster. One other outlandish trade idea was recently thrown out there that involved the Browns actually taking on another QB.
One fan tweeted at ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Grossi asking for his input on a rumor of his own. He asked Grossi if the Browns should call the Minnesota Vikings and inquire about backup quarterback and former first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, and Grossi shut it down without a second thought.
“No, thanks,” said Grossi.
No, thanks. https://t.co/vFfxRGDXHi
— Tony Grossi (@TonyGrossi) August 14, 2026
McCarthy quickly lost his QB competition to Kyler Murray and his future is now in flux after a highly disappointing sophomore campaign in 2025. He threw for 11 touchdowns and 12 picks as a rookie while completing just 57.6 percent of his passes in one of the most QB-friendly offenses in the NFL.
He didn’t do much to inspire confidence that he can be the Vikings’ franchise QB they had hoped he’d be, so it’s natural that trade rumors could start swirling. McCarthy is still just 23 and it’s far too early to call him a bust, but he has things to work on before he is ready to lead an offense again.
For the Browns, the last thing this organization needs is another question mark at quarterback. It’s possible that this season is set up as a bridge to the 2027 draft where GM Andrew Berry will finally take a big swing and get his guy. Cramming McCarthy into this mess doesn’t help anybody, so it’s no surprise that Grossi would shut the rumors down quickly.
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