The Cleveland Browns have a lot of questions to answer before Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season, but perhaps none are more pressing than figuring out their starting quarterback. Shedeur Sanders handled the workload in the back half of the season, taking over from Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel.
Some have indicated that it’s Sanders’s job to lose, as he showed some strong attributes, but he didn’t play well enough for it to be a sure thing. Plus, Sanders isn’t the only QB on the roster, and it appears that Deshaun Watson isn’t going away quietly.
Watson has barely played for the Browns after signing his massive contract, and he’s going into the last year of that deal. If he wants to prove that he’s still a viable NFL QB, now could be the time. Analyst Jay Crawford talked about this on the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show, believing there’s a world where Watson gets back to his former self.
“If Sam Darnold can resurrect his career, I’m not saying it’s a huge stretch to think that Deshaun Watson can resurrect his career,” Crawford said.
Could Deshaun Watson have a Sam Darnold like comeback in 2026?
It's unlikely, but @JaycrawfordCLE isn't totally writing it off… pic.twitter.com/hCW6b378Et
— Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show (@ultCLEsports) February 16, 2026
As Crawford indicated, Darnold went from being at the bottom of the NFL totem pole to becoming a Super Bowl-winning quarterback with the Seattle Seahawks. His career started with the New York Jets, but he was labeled a bust after not being able to overcome the Jets’ organizational woes.
Watson hasn’t been hit with the bust label, given how well he played as a member of the Houston Texans, but his off-field issues and injuries have limited his abilities in recent seasons. The Browns are looking for a miracle worker at QB if they want to be competitive in 2026 and beyond, and if Watson looks like anything close to what he did earlier in his career, he could be just that.
The Browns haven’t gotten anywhere close to the return they were initially expecting from Watson’s massive contract. But if he can play well in 2026, the fanbase’s memory might be wiped clean, especially if he starts and leads the Browns to the playoffs.
NEXT: Former Player Warns Todd Monken About Shedeur Sanders
