It is widely believed that Shedeur Sanders is the quarterback who will benefit the most from the head coaching change made by the Cleveland Browns. Seen as unwanted by former coach Kevin Stefanski, Sanders is thought to be getting a better deal under Todd Monken.
On the other hand, it may be Deshaun Watson who is receiving the real advantage from this clean slate. Monken very easily could have ruled out the veteran at any time since he was hired in January, but he has almost gone out of his way not to do that.
Instead, Monken has made it very clear from Day One that there will be an open competition for the starting QB job. In fact, without any negative history as part of his evaluation, Monken may actually prefer using a more established player in his first go-round as an NFL head coach.
In addition, Watson has to be on the roster anyway, thanks to the ramifications of his arduous record-breaking contract. So, if the Browns are on the hook for almost $50 million this season, they might as well get something for it.
Insider Zac Jackson of The Athletic recently revealed what he’s hearing about Watson, which is that the Browns “want to play Deshaun.”
“One of the reasons the Browns don’t live in an ideal world is because, four years ago they made the worst trade in the history of the NFL. What Jason [Lloyd] and I have been hearing for months is that they want to play Deshaun. They’re going to play Deshaun. We are hearing things out there that they’ve decided that Deshaun is going to perform better,” Jackson said.
.@AkronJackson says he’s hearing things… that the #Browns have decided Deshaun Watson IS going to perform better than Shedeur Sanders 👀
“One of the reasons the #Browns don’t live in an ideal world is because, four years ago they made the worst trade in the history of the NFL.”… pic.twitter.com/dPIdnVgqPB
— Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show (@ultCLEsports) May 5, 2026
The key component of this is that the Browns are reportedly counting on Watson to perform closer to the player he was when they traded away six draft picks, including three first-round selections, to acquire him from the Houston Texans in March 2022. Then, he was coming off three Pro Bowl selections and leading the league in passing yards, and despite multiple sexual assault allegations, they gave him the largest guaranteed contract in NFL history.
Without that deal, Watson likely would have been long gone by now. Yet, even though Cleveland can finally escape it after this season, the organization has not ruled out Watson returning in 2027, which is another indicator he is in line to start this season.
Based on his recent injury history, Watson could disappear as an option at any time, but until then, getting the job has to be considered a very real possibility.
NEXT: Insider Hints At Big Change Todd Monken Will Make In Training Camp
