Quarterback controversies are becoming all too familiar for Cleveland Browns fans, but at least this year’s battle will only be between Deshaun Sanders and Shedeur Sanders as opposed to last offseason when there were four QBs involved. It’s not ideal, but this is just the way things have to be right now, but hopefully this is the last stop before finding the next franchise QB, possibly in the 2027 draft.
It sounds like Watson has the inside track to winning the job since ownership wants to give him one last shot to provide some return on investment for his massive contract. It’s also much easier optics-wise to pivot from Watson to Sanders than vice versa if need be, which are all reasons why one insider sees this situation blowing up catastrophically.
During a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Tom Pelissero said the Browns’ QB situation has a chance to be “nuclear” for a number of reasons. Between the fact that Watson has barely played since 2020 and Shedeur’s father setting up meetings with head coach Todd Monken, it’s easy to see why this whole situation is disconcerting.
“This one has the potential to be nuclear for all kinds of reasons. You already have Deion out there saying he’s going to fly in. He’s got a meeting set with Todd Monken to talk about how he can best use Shedeur. You’ve got Deshaun, who’s a whole other story. He’s now five years into that five-year, $230 million contract and has started 20-ish games since the 2020 season. We know what Deshaun was at his peak. Can he still be that guy? That is going to be a fascinating one because whoever doesn’t come out of that starting, you know they’re not going to be happy still being there,” Pelissero said.
Monken hasn’t responded to Deion Sanders’ public declaration of trying to get a meeting with him about Shedeur, and it’s not his prerogative to do so at all. Monken is an accomplished coach with decades of experience, and having meetings with his quarterback’s father seems like it could do a lot more harm than good.
There is a lot of pressure to get this figured out because the Browns have quietly built up a talented roster capable of being truly competitive in the AFC if the quarterback position can produce up to par. If a healthy Watson is the best option to get that done, then so be it, but nobody has any reason to believe that Watson turning back into one of the best QBs in football is anything more than a coin flip.
However, fans should have faith in Monken coming off of guiding Lamar Jackson to arguably the two best offensive seasons of his career. He also led Georgia to two national championships prior to his stint as the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive coordinator, so if he is unable to get the most out of Watson and Sanders, it will be easier to move on from both of them in 2027 knowing that the organization gave it their best shot.
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