Now that the starting quarterback competition is settled, both Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders will be sitting out the Cleveland Browns’ preseason finale against the New England Patriots on Thursday night. A lot of key players will be sitting out along with them as the team is now fully focused on Week 1 at the Jacksonville Jaguars and needs to make it to Florida fully healthy.
However, that doesn’t mean the Browns are looking past New England. There are still plenty of roster debates to be settled and a lot of young guys are battling for their spots on the depth chart, which is why one analyst believes Browns fans should still tune in tonight.
During a recent episode of The Next Level on ESPN Cleveland, three-time Super Bowl champion Jerod Cherry urged Browns fans to watch Thursday night’s game and touched on how big of an opportunity this is for some of the young guys.
“I know we minimized the fact that Deshaun and Shedeur are not playing, but this might be one of the best preseason games you’ll ever see. There are a lot of opportunities on the Cleveland Browns football team from the opportunity to be on the squad standpoint. They better play hard. They have no choice but to play hard,” said Cherry.
"There are a lot of opportunities on the Cleveland Browns football team," – @JRCherry3 on why tonight is must-watch for Browns fans. pic.twitter.com/UOXptb1kOO
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 27, 2026
The quarterback spot is still going to be something to watch as Dillon Gabriel and Taylen Green are set to see extended playing time. It’s a particularly important game for Gabriel, who could be fighting for a roster spot or auditioning for another team. The Browns have a tough decision to make since they have four quarterbacks on the roster, and they aren’t going to cut Green since he is a rookie.
The Browns already made a tough decision prior to Thursday night’s game by cutting wide receiver Cedric Tillman. It’s a disappointing end to what was once a promising young career for him, but he has been unable to stay healthy and the arrival of rookies KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston made it difficult to keep him around.
That should be a wakeup call to everyone else on the roster bubble and remind them that they need to bring it tonight. This is going to be the last chance a lot of them have of making this team, so tune in to see if Cherry is right in his prediction that this could be an outstanding preseason game.
NEXT: Brady Quinn Sees A Silver Lining In Browns' QB Situation
