A year ago, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam admitted that acquiring quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Texans in 2022 was a “big swing and miss” for his franchise. Despite on- and off-field issues, the Browns have not been able to escape Watson’s onerous contract. With Watson guaranteed to return for a fifth Cleveland season in 2026, Haslam is leaving the door open for him to reclaim his former role as its starting signal-caller.
Watson has not taken the field since he ruptured his Achilles in Week 7 of the 2024 season. The three-time Pro Bowler re-ruptured it during the recovery process, keeping him out all of last year. Watson has since received medical clearance, per Zac Jackson of The Athletic. He is now present at voluntary workouts under new head coach Todd Monken, who has been impressed with his quarterbacks so far (as Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com notes, the Browns are allowed to teach their playbook during workouts).
“You couldn’t ask for a better start for the quarterbacks (on Monday). I was fired up,” Monken said.
Along with Watson, the Browns have Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel as in-house options under center. The Browns used a 2025 third-round pick on Gabriel, who got the first crack at starting after they traded Joe Flacco to the Bengals in early October. The left-handed Gabriel struggled mightily before suffering a concussion in Week 11. Sanders, a fifth-rounder last year, took over after Gabriel’s injury and held the job for the rest of the season.
Although he received a Pro Bowl invitation as an alternate, Sanders did not offer strong production as a rookie. The former Colorado star connected on 56.5% of passes, averaged 6.6 yards per attempt, and threw more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (seven). He posted an ugly 68.1 passer rating and an even worse 18.9 QBR in the process.
Barring an outside acquisition (perhaps via the draft), Watson, Sanders and Gabriel are poised to compete for the Browns’ QB1 gig in the coming months. Watson is the most established of the three, but Zac Jackson of The Athletic contends that Sanders is the favorite to win the job. With the Browns in a rebuild, it would make sense to give the 24-year-old an opportunity to sink or swim. The team would then have a better idea of whether to draft a QB in what should be a deeper class next year.
Unless Watson overtakes Sanders and puts together a renaissance season in 2026, it will likely be the 30-year-old’s swan song in Cleveland. Watson is entering the final season of a fully guaranteed pact that has been a nightmare for the Browns. At the cost of $230MM and a handful of draft picks, including three first-rounders, Watson has given the Browns lackluster play over just 19 starts.
Every week someone reports something differently: that Shedeur is the favorite, Watson is the favorite, or they’ll draft someone with a chance to win the job.
It’s April; let’s be honest, no one has any idea and if they’re reporting something then it’s just a guess at this point.
Exactly. Which is why my guess is for the funniest outcome of Watson winning the competition and being so good that the Browns decide they have to give him another contract because they can’t risk the humiliation of what the Vikings just went through with Darnold leaving and winning the SB. So then they miss out on what is supposed to be a good QB draft just in time for him to become a pumpkin again following year. Just a guess.
It’s not rocket science
Team needs to build the offense whether that’s for Sanders or a new QB in 2027
6 grab Carnell Tate
24 grab miller or lomu at tackle
39 grab Pregnon Bitonisis G
70 grab a C Hecht Slaughter or Jones
Tate’s not worth pick 6
Top 10 prospect commonly mocked anywhere from titans to chiefs isn’t worth 6? Ok Johnny super scout
Mock drafts aren’t real life….Tate wasn’t even the best WR at Ohio St…he’s good sure but not worthy of a top 6 pick….
Aye aye captain check down
He’s had top 30 visits with Titans Giants Saints Chiefs Browns Commanders
So clearly they think he’s worth a pick 4-9 overall if they’re bringing him in amongst the limited number of players they can interview
But why let facts like mocks and real life visits get in the way
You realize the GM’s have said they do hundreds of mock drafts just like the talking heads and couch wanna be’s do. FYI.
Trace is the same guy who wants the Browns to pick Simpson at 39 so he can be a “quality backup” so you can disregard his comments.
I’m a Browns fan and Tate would be my pick if they stay at 6.
Agreed on Tate not worth 6
Well teams disagree with you since they already did top 30 visits with him so there’s that
top 30 visits are notably only for top 6 picks when teams have other picks in the range.
Maybe a top 30 visit means they think he’s a top 30 pick (not top 6).
So top 30 means you’re only allowed to have 30 prospects visit per team
You think they’ll waste a top 30 visit bringing in a guy who’s
ranked somewhere in the top 10 of all prospects
ranked first or second best wr in the draft
by multiple outlets thinking they’ll get him at end of the first round or second round?
You notice WR needy teams like Bills Steelers Bears Patriots 49ers drafting towards end of the first round aren’t bringing him in?
Yes we all know what it means. He will either be an overdrafted bust or reasonable at the end of the first round or early second.
Bad teams use their visits horribly all the time.
Well not all of us know what top 30 means
carlos15
April 9, 2026
Maybe a top 30 visit means they think he’s a top 30 pick (not top 6).
Carlos’s comment is completely unrelated and accurate for a team with a couple picks in the first round.
“ Bad teams use their visits horribly all the time.
Yeah having more choices sometimes isn’t more beneficial that is true
And drafting higher has higher stakes than drafting lower that’s true too
6 get Oline. Plenty of WR talent in day 2
“Plenty of WR day 2”
Not really based on CBS rankings there’s 14 WRS within top 100
There’s
10 IOL
9 OT
Getting a quality WR is less likely than getting a quality OF
Receiver is also a fixed position. OL you can place anywhere as a T, G, C
I said plenty of WR talent I never said they’d be Jamarr Chase lol
“ Getting a quality WR is less likely than getting a quality OF”
Still holds true
Dallas still wins the tile of ‘Best trade of all time.’. They got 3 SB’s from H Walker. Texas have a division title or two; nothing more.
How about the Falcons trading Brett Favre to Green Bay because Jerry Glanville didn’t like Brett….that was brilliant!
the trade the began the devaluation of rb’s .. teams started to realize they didn’t need a bell cow back to win
It took quite a few more years for that to happen, teams started getting talent later in the draft and realized the didn’t need to blow a very high pick on a RB that has a short shed life.
June 1st 2027 can’t get here soon enough…. Watson worse QB in NFL history
Sanders or Watson is the equivalent of would you rather die by gunshot or stabbing. There’s no good outcome.
Sanders is very talented and will show it this year….. Watson is all but washed out
Good luck with that.
Tracenv–Hunter bailed Sanders out ALOT in Colorado. Not having him in Cleveland is definitely contributing to Sanders struggles. But I also think with an entire training camp where he’s the number one guy will help him immensely. Hard to get in sync with receivers if you’re only given a week to prepare.
Todd Moncken bringing a fresh perspective and new approach has gotta help too, presumably.
What’s your excuse after week one
Watson, in my opinion, doesn’t seem to want to play football. His attitude seems to be, ” Hey, I’m already in the NFL, I know it all. Why should I actually work at becoming a better quarterback.” Last year when Joe Flacco was with the Browns I personally would have been following him around like a puppy dog trying to figure out what I was doing wrong ( when I actually made it to the field) , and getting any sliver of advice I could. Watson seems to believe he isn’t doing anything wrong, so why change. I really don’t know why he’s content to be a the biggest joke in the NFL, but if he’s okay with it why should we care.
“I really don’t know why he’s content to be a the biggest joke in the NFL…”
There are 230 million reasons why.
HDSH–25 years later people still laugh at guys like Tony Mandarich, Brian Bosworth, Ryan Leaf. He’ll be a joke for the next 50 years. If he can live with that for the next 50 years without unaliving himself then more power to him.
Seriously, stop and think about the life you could live if you had millions of dollars at your command. He can completely disappear if he wants to, and in that situation (whatever paradise he has built around himself and no longer in the spotlight), I sincerely doubt he gives even half a damn if people are laughing at him.
We have ample evidence that Watson is unconcerned with what other people think.
It could be the Browns need him to attempt to play and be physically unable to play in order to get an insurance claim on what they paid him.
Very true
Watson will play elsewhere this year on Haslam’s dime a la Russell Wilson
No he won’t. They can’t take the cap hit. They need to spread his money across this season and the next two, which they can do by releasing him when the new league year starts in March of 2027 with a post June 1st designation.
There is not a QB on the roster in Cleveland that gets the job done imo. I think both picks from last year are bust or will prove to be. Watson lacks dedication and is a shell of his old self.
If Watson is healthy, he’s playing. There’s really no mystery to this at all. They’re not going to pay him that much money to sit on the bench if he’s healthy. They’ll ride whatever performance he gives them for however long he can give it, and if they tank, they don’t care, because they are in rebuild mode anyway.
Surprised this thread has made it this far without any rub and tug comments or how much of a POS Watson is.
His lack of quality play and good health has surpassed his massage history as points of criticism. Not an easy thing achieve but he “pulled it off”!
I’m not knocking his skill level or his ability to become a quality starter in the league, but has there even been a worse Pro Bowl QB than Shedeur last year?
By many metrics Sanders was the worst QB in the NFL last year. You don’t have to add the Pro Bowl qualifier.
Deshaun Watson received medical clearance to play football. Browns fans are looking forward to the day we receive clearance from Deshaun Watson’s contract.
Roster full of Pro Bowl QBs. This Cleveland team is ready to make a playoff push
Who cleared him? The health department?