The Cleveland Browns are putting an awful lot of work and attention into a quarterback competition that is likely to be just a one-year proposition, if that. Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders are not only vying for the 2026 starting job, but also to extend their respective NFL careers, either here or somewhere else.
Dillon Gabriel has been somewhat disrespected as an afterthought despite starting six games last season ahead of Sanders. Rookie Taylen Green is considered a developmental project with a longer timeline as an athletically gifted sixth-round pick from the 2026 NFL Draft.
So, with a talent-heavy QB class expected to be available in the 2027 NFL Draft, the Browns could move on from Watson, Sanders and Gabriel after this season. It would be a fresh start that is arguably the best path for the Browns to take.
Analyst Matt Fontana is making a surprising prediction about the Browns’ QB roster for 2027, saying only Green will be on the team this time next year.
“There’s only one guy on this roster that I feel like his roster spot is completely safe and set, and it’s Taylen Green. Which quarterback will be on the Cleveland Browns on July 30, 2027? I’m gonna say Taylen Green is the only one unequivocally that is a fact,” Fontana said.
"I'm gonna say Taylen Green is the only one that I can say unequivocally that is a fact." #DawgPound @MattFontana83 believes Taylen has the best odds of the QBs to be back on the Browns in 2027. pic.twitter.com/X2zcij7DDT
— BIGPLAY Cleveland (@BIGPLAYcle) July 30, 2026
It would take an improbable chain of events for Watson to return to the Browns after this season. Without an “inconceivable” new contract, he would be a 31-year-old free agent, and either he just flamed out as the Browns’ starter, and the decision to move on is an easy one, or he played well above expectations, which would increase his value on the open market, allowing him to get a fresh start elsewhere.
Sanders could emerge as the starter, but it is debatable whether he can show enough to prove that he is the long-term answer for the franchise. Or, if he doesn’t get a chance to play behind Watson, the Browns will never know what he’s capable of and could let him go to avoid another competition against a high-profile rookie draft pick.
Speculation about Gabriel’s future persisted during minicamps, despite assurances that he was not being overlooked. Green’s exceptional athleticism makes him an exciting prospect that is worth investigating over the next couple of years.
While Todd Monken would like some level of success in his first season as an NFL head coach, he and the Browns may be better served looking at 2026 with eyes firmly fixed on 2027, especially at the quarterback position.
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