The upcoming 2026 season will be a crucial year for the development of the Browns’ quarterback room. Last season saw three starting quarterbacks and veteran Deshaun Watson sidelined all year due to re-tearing the Achilles tendon he first tore in 2024. Second-year signal-caller Shedeur Sanders and Watson appear to be the front-runners for the starting QB job, although neither of them offers much hope.
Even if Watson is the starter and does play well, former NFL nose tackle Breiden Fehoko believes the team should still grab a QB early in the 2027 draft.
“If Deshaun Watson starts ballin’ out this year, I think that’s great,” said Fehoko during a recent segment of Honor The Land. “However, next season, I’m still taking a quarterback in the first round.”
Fehoko elaborated that he could see the Browns then complementing the pick with a veteran signal-caller the way the Rams have with Ty Simpson this year, the Falcons did with Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. the past two years, and even how the Kansas City Chiefs paired rookie Patrick Mahomes with Alex Smith in 2017.
"If Deshaun Watson starts balling out, that's great… I'm still taking a QB in the first round." #DawgPound@BreidenFehoko sees the Browns drafting a QB in 2027 even if Deshaun Watson figures it out. 👀 pic.twitter.com/31NsZ4sr5n
— Honor The Land (@honortheland) May 16, 2026
The issue for Cleveland would be which veteran QB the team would pair with a rookie in 2027. Would the organization keep Watson even if he has a good 2026? His massive guaranteed contract, signed in 2022, expires at the end of the current year. Based on how little he has given in return because of injuries and poor play, that seems highly doubtful. That leaves Sanders, or Dillon Gabriel, or current rookie Taylen Green.
Maybe the Browns sign a different veteran QB to pair with a first-round choice next year, much like the Las Vegas Raiders are doing with Cousins and Fernando Mendoza this season. That seems more likely than keeping Watson another year or two. As of now, the likely first-round QB picks in 2027 are Arch Manning of Texas and Dante Moore of Oregon, to name a few.
Fehoko is right. There’s a high probability that no matter what happens this season, the Browns are likely to have an eye on the QB class for 2027. The organization is desperate to land a franchise quarterback for the future, and the current group doesn’t exactly instill confidence.
Unfortunately, that might mean a couple more years of rebuilding and heartbreak until the future can be realized.
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