The Cleveland Browns’ decision to name Deshaun Watson their starting quarterback to open the 2026 season reveals much, much more than just his standing compared to backup Shedeur Sanders. While there are countless theories as to why head coach Todd Monken made such a controversial choice, none of it might matter by the time 2027 rolls around.
There is a line of thinking that the status of Watson over Sanders is a clear indication that the Browns fully intend to select a quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft. If that is the case, they will have plenty of talented options to choose from.
With eight months to go until then, NFL insider Field Yates is linking the Browns to intriguing QB prospect CJ Carr at No. 3 overall in an early mock draft.
“With the third pick in our way-too-early 2027 mock draft, the Cleveland Browns select CJ Carr, quarterback of your beloved Notre Dame. I think they’ve already told us how they feel about the quarterbacks in their room. If they’re picking third, they’re gonna take a quarterback. Because they named Deshaun Watson their starting quarterback for Week 1. If the Browns believed that Shedeur Sanders was their long-term QB, he’d be starting Week 1,” Yates said.
“If the Browns believed that Shedeur Sanders was their longterm QB, he’d be starting week 1,” – @FieldYates on the Browns QB room.
Field Yates has the Browns selecting CJ Carr in the new episode of ‘First Draft’ pic.twitter.com/Z5QoeJmoJg
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 31, 2026
Carr may be a bronze-medal consolation prize for the Browns, as this mock draft has the Notre Dame product as the third quarterback off the board. Alternating picks with draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr., Yates put Dante Moore of Oregon with the Miami Dolphins at No. 1 overall, which was followed by Kiper placing Arch Manning at No. 2 to the New York Jets. The only other quarterback among the top 10 picks was Darian Mensah of Miami at No. 9 to the Atlanta Falcons.
Landing Carr could be seen as a less-than-ideal outcome for Cleveland. He is just entering his second season as a college starter, and he might not have enough experience to take over as the Browns’ starter as a rookie. That could leave Cleveland with another QB competition, after enduring two unappealing ones the past two years.
The organization may actually view Dillon Gabriel as their backup of the future after placing him on injured reserve at the NFL roster deadline on Sunday. Unless Sanders gets a chance to start this season and shows enough to figure into Cleveland’s long-term plans, it’s also possible that it completely starts over at the position.
There is obviously a long way to go before this all plays out, but it will be a major talking point throughout the Browns’ 2026 campaign.
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