Nothing is ever easy when it comes to the Cleveland Browns and their quarterbacks. In recent years, they have never really known who their starting quarterback would be or what he would be able to provide during the offseason heading into training camp.
Last year, it was a crowded four-man quarterback competition that included two unwanted veterans and two rookies. On the bright side, this year, the competition may be cut in half, down to a two-man battle, but that may come with even more issues.
In deciding between veteran Deshaun Watson and second-year player Shedeur Sanders, there is more involved than just who is the better player. Concerns about the future, and now maybe even the past, could determine who winds up with the job.
NFL insider Albert Breer recently revealed why the Browns are favoring Watson, saying that they long to finally get some kind of return out of the significant investment they made in trading for him four years ago.
“They have now invested, by the end of this year, it’ll be $230 million into Deshaun Watson. They’ve invested three first-round picks into him. Obviously, it’s gone the way it’s gone. The return has not been close to the investment they made over the last four years. You know what would be worse than just striking out in this? What would be worse is striking out and not giving him a chance this year, and then seeing him go and ball out somewhere else in 2027. For the Browns, part of it is you sort of owe it to yourself to at least give this a run and see, and make sure that that top-five quarterback isn’t still in there. I also think it’s much easier to pull the plug on Deshaun Watson four games into the season and go to Shedeur Sanders than it would be the other way around,” Breer said.
Who's going to win the #DawgPound quarterback competition this summer?#NFL pic.twitter.com/yOvDHxig6M
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) May 7, 2026
Since sending multiple draft picks to the Houston Texans to acquire him in March 2022, in the midst of sexual assault allegations, and then giving him the largest fully guaranteed contract in NFL history, the Browns are pretty much right back where they were then in searching for a franchise quarterback. After three Pro Bowl seasons for Houston, when he missed just one regular-season game, Watson has played in just 19 of 68 possible games for Cleveland, due to a combination of a lengthy NFL suspension and season-ending injuries, which included him sitting out the entire 2025 campaign.
Now, despite calling that trade a “big swing and miss,” even owner Jimmy Haslam appears to be on board with Watson as Cleveland’s potential quarterback. Maybe he knows it would be just the Browns’ luck that if Watson moves on, he would end up playing well for someone else.
Yet, even though Breer mentions that possibility, Watson’s best days are likely far behind him, and he has so much to prove to get anywhere close to his former level of play.
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