Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has been the talk of the town lately as it’s looking more and more likely with each passing day that he is going to be the team’s starting quarterback when the 2026 season kicks off. It has been a seismic turn of events compared to last season when it sounded like everyone from ownership to the front office to the fans were completely moved on from him, but the pendulum has swung back in his favor.
If Watson does in fact become the starter again, it could be his last chance to prove that he is still capable of being a franchise QB. The Browns could also be doing everything they can to convince another team to trade for him, but there’s no way to know what the plan is at this point in the NFL calendar.
It certainly gives everyone plenty to talk about as former Browns QB Kellen Mond recently chimed in on the subject. During a recent appearance on the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show, Mond echoed the sentiment that Watson will be the starter unless something unforeseen happens between now and Week 1.
“If we can do a good job at taking off what the names are—Deshaun, Shedeur, Dillon Gabriel—take off the names, and I think you will see that you have a guy who’s been paid a lot of money. He’s been MVP-caliber in the past. I think he winds up being the starter, unless he goes down and plays absolutely horrible throughout camp,” Mond said.
Mond has a point, and that’s that Watson is the only one in the room who has played at an MVP level before. Granted, we haven’t seen it in six years, but perhaps a year away was what he needed to reset. Perhaps getting married and focusing on rehab enabled him to get back into the state of mind he needs to be that MVP-level guy once again.
The team finally has a path out of his contract in 2027, which coincides perfectly with what is projected to be an outstanding rookie QB class, so the Browns will be able to move on without wondering “what if” should Watson happen to struggle again. He and Shedeur Sanders will both have an honest chance to prove themselves in 2026, and if neither is able to, Browns fans will be refreshing mock drafts early in the 2026 season.
A new coach often means a new quarterback as well. This is Todd Monken’s first shot at being a head coach, and he might not get another one if he hitches his wagon to the wrong QB. Whether that QB is already on the roster or not remains to be seen.
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