Lining up Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders side-by-side on paper, there would be no question who the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback would be this season. Watson is a former first-round pick with three meaningful Pro Bowl selections, while Sanders is a fifth-round pick who had one of the worst statistical seasons in recent NFL history as a rookie.
However, Watson’s best days were a very long time ago, with another team. Meanwhile, Sanders may hold value as a potential long-term solution and deserves a chance to prove that.
The competition that began at a voluntary minicamp last month still has a long, long way to go, but insider Tony Grossi is predicting that Watson will start for the Browns in 2026, coming close to his early-career performance.
“It’s my opinion that Watson will prevail. It’s not the coach’s opinion or a source. It’s my opinion. I believe, if he’s healthy, he’ll be a better version of himself than we’ve seen yet. That doesn’t mean he’s an MVP candidate. I don’t know if he’ll ever be that quarterback again. Physically, he’s in his best shape, according to everyone. Mentally, he’s in good shape, and we have a new offensive system and coach who I think respects what he used to be,” Grossi said.
"It's my opinion that Watson will prevail," – @TonyGrossi on who the Browns starting QB will be in 2026.
Do you agree? pic.twitter.com/IzTo3lbTti
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) May 4, 2026
As the No. 12 overall pick by the Houston Texans in the 2017 NFL Draft, Watson looked to be one of the emerging star quarterbacks in the league. In his first two seasons as their full-time starter, the Texans won 21 games, and he passed for more than 8,000 yards and 50 touchdowns. Although the record dropped off in his third year, Watson led the NFL with 4,823 passing yards.
If the Browns can get anything close to that kind of production from Watson, he would be a clear choice for head coach Todd Monken. But since that 2020 season, Watson has fallen off considerably.
He missed all of his final season with the Texans and most of his first after his trade to the Browns due to multiple sexual assault allegations made against him. When he was on the field for Cleveland, he didn’t last long, suffering season-ending shoulder and Achilles injuries.
He hasn’t played in an NFL game since October 2024, which may strangely be working to his advantage in the competition so far. People have a much fresher memory of what Sanders looked like, and may forget that Watson did not look much better in his last collection of games, failing to top 200 yards passing in any of them.
Fortunately, all of this will likely be decided head-to-head on the practice field, and it really is impossible to predict who will emerge at this point.
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