Insider Believes Browns Could Make Surprising Decision With Deshaun Watson

The second preseason game is in the books, and the Browns still have yet to decide on a starting quarterback. Shedeur Sanders got the start on Saturday and might have tightened up this competition with his performance in the loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Afterwards, the players met with the media, and if Deshaun Watson’s performance on the field wasn’t bad enough, he made it worse during his press conference. Insider Albert Breer believes Watson’s attitude could play a role could play a role in the team selecting a starting quarterback.

“I went into yesterday pretty certain that Deshaun Watson was going to be the Browns starter. Now I’m not sure he’s going to be on the team. That press conference is going to be difficult to come back from. We’ll see how the decision-makers reckon with it.” said Breer on X.

I went into yesterday pretty certain that Deshaun Watson was going to be the Browns starter. Now I’m not sure he’s going to be on the team. That press conference is going to be difficult to come back from.

We’ll see how the decision-makers reckon with it.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) August 23, 2026

Watson was impressive in the preseason opener, but gave completely different results during Saturday’s loss to the Bills. Watson came in after Sanders and was completely horrendous under center. The veteran quarterback completed 5-of-12 passing attempts for 36 yards and one interception.

Unsurprisingly, the Browns fans booed Watson for his terrible performance on the field. In his press conference after the game, Watson expressed displeasure with being booed for his performance on Saturday. It sounds like Watson is still upset about the fans cheering when he tore his Achilles in 2024.

Watson has been awful on the field since signing his massive contract with Cleveland. He hasn’t done himself any favors with his actions off the field. He continues to make it sound like he doesn’t want to be in Cleveland, and the fans likely don’t want him here either.

Given his experience and his performance in the first preseason game, Watson seemed like a lock for the starting role to begin the season. After Saturday’s game, Sanders seems like the favorite to snag the starting role in Cleveland. Watson is owed over $40 million for the upcoming season, but he’s giving the Browns no reason to play him with his actions on the field and towards the fanbase.