Browns’ Deshaun Watson Leading QB Competition; Ownership Pushing For Watson To Start?
MAY 1: During a Friday appearance on 92.3 The Fan, Monken confirmed his preference would be to have a QB1 in place to start training camp. He added, though, that the split of first-team reps during the team’s remaining spring practices may not be a final indication regarding Cleveland’s approach under center with preseason contests still providing an opportunity for the depth chart to change.
APRIL 30: The 2026 regular season is still four-plus months from kicking off, but first-year Browns head coach Todd Monken wants to identify his starting quarterback by the end of the team’s June 9-11 minicamp, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports. Monken still has several weeks to make his choice, but Deshaun Watson currently has the “edge” over Shedeur Sanders, according to Cabot.
This comes as a surprise after Sanders appeared to be the frontrunner three weeks ago. As a fifth-round pick last year, Sanders finished his rookie season as the Browns’ starter. Despite posting poor numbers, Sanders earned a Pro Bowl invite as an alternate. Meanwhile, Watson has not taken the field since he ruptured his Achilles on Oct. 20, 2024. The three-time Pro Bowler ruptured it again in January 2025, forcing him to miss all of last season.
The Browns made perhaps the worst trade in league history when they sent four picks (three first-rounders and a third-rounder) to the Texans for Watson in March 2022. They immediately handed Watson a fully guaranteed $230MM over five years, which has gone down as another disastrous decision.
While facing widespread sexual misconduct allegations, Watson opened his Browns tenure serving an 11-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Injuries have held him to just 19 starts since then. The Browns have gone 9-10 with Watson at the helm. To worsen matters, they have been forced to repeatedly restructure his bloated contract. They did so for the fourth time last month.
Although Watson’s deal will finally expire after this season, the Browns will still spread an $86.2MM dead money charge from 2027-28. Owner Jimmy Haslam, who has paid a cripplingly expensive price for almost no production from Watson, admitted last April that acquiring him was a “big swing and miss.” Over a year later, though, the Haslams (Jimmy and wife Dee) are making a behind-the-scenes push for Watson to start, Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom relays.
“Jimmy Haslam has paid this guy $180MM and he’s got nothing to show for it,” one general manager told La Canfora. “He’s trying to get blood from a stone but it’s not going to work. Watson is done.”
If Watson proves to be “done,” it could eventually lead to opportunities for Sanders and/or the rest of the Browns’ signal-callers. Dillon Gabriel and 2026 sixth-rounder Taylen Green are also in the team’s QBs room, but it does not appear they are under serious consideration for the starting gig. Rather, they are vying for a “developmental spot,” Cabot writes. It is more likely Gabriel and Green will receive third- and fourth-team work, leaving Watson and Sanders to divide the starting reps.
Monken has left the door open for Green, a 6-foot-6, 235-pound dual threat, to take the field in specialty packages (via Cabot). If the former Boise State and Arkansas starter impresses enough to earn a roster spot, Gabriel could be on his way out just a year after the Browns spent a third-rounder on him. The Browns may have trouble getting Gabriel on their practice squad, notes Cabot, who points to a trade as a possibility.
Gabriel made six underwhelming starts for the Browns after they traded Joe Flacco to the Bengals last October. He lost the job to Sanders after suffering a concussion in a Week 11 loss to the Ravens. Depending on how the next few months unfold, that may prove to be Gabriel’s last meaningful appearance with the Browns.
AFC North Notes: Jones, Browns, Ravens
Taking first-round tackles in back-to-back years, the Steelers have seen the first of those picks — Broderick Jones — struggle to live up to his No. 14 draft slot. Jones is now rehabbing from neck surgery. That rehab process is under the microscope, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter indicating a setback occurred. Jones is scheduled for an evaluation this week with regards to readiness for training camp and/or the regular season. While the Bears may need a veteran stopgap while Ozzy Trapilo recovers from a patellar tendon tear, Jones’ struggles before suffering the injury in Week 12 of last year may point the organization to another early-round draftee. The Steelers are unlikely to pick up Jones’ fifth-year option — valued at $19.07MM — and this injury may determine if another long-term tackle option is sought in this year’s first round.
GM Omar Khan, however, said (via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac) nothing has changed with Jones’ rehab timeline; though, it remains unclear. A host of tackles are expected to go off the board in Round 1; Ely Allen’s PFR mock draft sends Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor to Pittsburgh.
Here is the latest from the AFC North:
- The Browns are (again) conducting a quarterback competition. Unlike last year, Deshaun Watson is part of it. Todd Monken has not dismissed the embattled veteran when asked about a possible comeback, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport made a recent guess during a Rich Eisen Show appearance that it will indeed be Watson calling signals for Cleveland when the season opens. Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel struggled as rookies, and while GM Andrew Berry did not rule out an addition to the team’s QB room, it is possible the draft comes and goes without Cleveland making a move here. Watson is entering the final season of a disastrous five-year, $230MM fully guaranteed contract. The dead money consequences this year will keep Watson rostered, as his play with the Browns has certainly not warranted retention, and the 30-year-old passer will attempt to come back from two Achilles tears — and a second missed season this decade — to reclaim a starting job. To open offseason team drills, Sanders (per The Athletic’s Zac Jackson) drew the first snaps. Watson, per the Akron Beacon Journal’s Chris Easterling, was first up in seven-on-seven work.
- Dax Hill has toggled between outside and slot cornerback duty. Although the Bengals traded their first-round pick to the Giants for Dexter Lawrence, the team addressing the corner spot on Day 2 could affect Hill’s usage, Ben Baby of ESPN.com writes. The team had Hill primarily manning the slot — with DJ Turner and Cam Taylor-Britt outside — to start the season before closing the campaign with a Hill-Turner boundary duo. Hill primarily played on the perimeter upon being moved to CB in 2024, but an ACL tear ended his season early. His 2025 season brought a near-even snap split (366 in the slot, 409 outside). How the Bengals use the former first-rounder this year will go a long way toward shaping his free agent market, should the team not extend the converted safety (a rumored scenario).
- The Ravens ultimately drafted Georgia safety Malaki Starks in last year’s first round, but The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec indicates the team considered Ohio State tackle Josh Simmons at No. 27. Viewed as a player who would have gone higher were it not for a patellar tendon tear in 2024, Simmons ended up going 32nd overall to the Chiefs. He then missed time due to a personal issue and wrist injury during an eight-game rookie season. Baltimore’s interest in Simmons is notable considering the team had just re-signed Ronnie Stanley and used a 2024 second-round pick on RT Roger Rosengarten. Baltimore has been connected to Proctor, Spencer Fano and Vega Ioane in this year’s first round. Were Proctor or Fano chosen, the player’s immediate Maryland duty would likely be guard to complement Stanley and Rosengarten (whereas Ioane is a natural guard). But one of the tackles having a future role as a Stanley successor — and present place as insurance for the injury-prone LT — would be in play as well.
- The Lions released former second-rounder Josh Paschal last month. The edge rusher has resurfaced in Cleveland, with TheLandonDemand.com’s Tony Grossi noting he is going through a tryout at Browns workouts Tuesday. Paschal (18 career starts) spent last season on the NFI list due to back surgery.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson Receives Medical Clearance; Shedeur Sanders Likely Favorite To Start
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.
Browns Owner Jimmy Haslam Addresses Deshaun Watson’s Starting Potential
The Deshaun Watson era has not gone according to plan in Cleveland, to say the very least. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has gone as far as publicly calling the Watson acquisition a “big swing-and-miss.”
During his latest media appearance, however, Haslam struck a different tone regarding the team’s quarterback situation. Haslam spoke with reporters at the league meeting, leaving the door open to Watson returning to the QB1 gig for 2026. Having healed from two Achilles tears, the former Texans Pro Bowler is positioned to compete with Shedeur Sanders for the starting spot.
“Deshaun has a great chance, fresh start, offensive-minded coach, who has in his past been able to work with all kinds of different quarterbacks and make them successful,” Haslam said (via ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi). “So, Deshaun has a great chance to do that now. We talked to him the other day, he said he weighs the [least] he has in several years… Let’s see what Deshaun can do. We’re all excited.”
Earlier this month, the Browns continued their annual tradition of restructuring Watson’s fully guaranteed contract. The 30-year-old’s cap hit for this season was reduced once more as a result, but a dead money charge of $86.2MM looms. Cleveland is in position to make Watson a post-June 1 release next spring, spreading that money out across the 2027 and ’28 seasons. In the meantime, he will look to post a healthy campaign and at least provide some value to the Browns.
Due to injuries and the personal conduct suspension which began his Browns tenure, Watson has only played 19 games with his second career team. That figure could increase depending on how things play out in training camp. Sanders took over the QB1 role late in his rookie season, and he and fellow 2025 draftee Dillon Gabriel are on the roster at this point. Another passer could be added during April’s draft, something which could leave Cleveland with a logjam under center for the second summer in a row.
Across the board, Watson’s production in Cleveland has fallen well short of his peak years in Houston. The former first-rounder will not be expected to return to his previous form in 2026 provided he finds himself on the field, given his missed time and struggles to date as a member of the Browns. Nevertheless, the potential for a return to starting duties will be something to monitor through the summer.
Browns Restructure QB Deshaun Watson’s Contract
It is that time of year again. The Browns are stuck with Deshaun Watson‘s albatross contract, and as expected, they are restructuring it once again.
This could be the final such transaction, as the contract expires after the 2026 season. The Browns are converting most of Watson’s base salary into a signing bonus, according to cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot. This move would stand to, once again, bring the quarterback’s salary to the veteran minimum and max out the restructure-driven cap space allowed.
The team’s latest restructure will save $36MM in cap space, per Cabot. The Browns gave Watson a fully guaranteed $230MM back in 2022, acquiring him from the Texans in what almost certainly is the worst trade in NFL history (given the contractual ramifications and draft capital exchanged). This marks Cleveland’s fourth restructure on the five-year deal, which is set to bring astonishing dead money in 2027.
If the Browns had a realistic out on the deal this year, they assuredly would take it. But they do not. If Cleveland were to designate Watson as a post-June 1 cut this year, $131.16MM would be spread over two offseasons. Despite the quarterback not coming remotely close to living up to the trade/extension, he will stay on the roster for 2026. In 2027, though, the bill is coming.
The remaining cap charges will be moved to void years from 2027-29, Cabot adds. Watson, 30, is technically part of Cleveland’s latest quarterback competition this offseason. Coming off two Achilles tears, Watson will vie for the job against Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and perhaps a QB to be named later. Considering how poorly Watson played before his first Achilles tear in 2024, it would surprise if he won the job. But Todd Monken is installing a new offense, and Sanders — his Pro Bowl alternate invite notwithstanding — did not exactly seize the job last season.
This season will be Watson’s last in Cleveland. Jimmy Haslam admitted the trade was a mistake last year, before Watson spent the season on the reserve/PUP list. In 2027, however, Watson’s exit will bring an $86.2MM dead money bill. The Browns have structured the contract to create a post-June 1 release scenario in 2027, according to OverTheCap’s Jason Fitzgerald. Watson’s cap hit will drop from $80.72MM to $44.96MM, per OverTheCap. The team now holds just less than $19MM in cap space.
That is an important note, as Watson’s dead money will be spread over two offseasons. In the likely post-June 1 release scenario, Fitzgerald notes Watson would count $34.67MM against Cleveland’s 2027 cap and $51.54MM in 2028. While this will help the Browns avoid the worst single-year dead money hit in NFL history, it also means the team will have to live with the deal on its books for an extra year. By the end of this saga, Cleveland will have carried this contract on its payroll for seven years.
The Browns kept GM Andrew Berry employed despite the veteran exec being in place for the Watson trade. Cleveland changed coaching staffs, and Monken will be aboard for the worst chapter of the contract — as the Browns will be carrying considerable dead money in 2027 and ’28.
Alabama QB Ty Simpson Could Jump To Top Half Of First Round?
It’s long been considered an essentially foregone conclusion that Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza will go No. 1 overall to the Raiders at the end of April. Las Vegas isn’t the only team that needs an upgrade at the quarterback position, though, and Mendoza isn’t the only passer available in the 2026 NFL Draft. According to Tony Pauline of EssentiallySports, Alabama’s Ty Simpson could be a potential solution to the Browns’ longstanding quarterback woes, and he could hear his name called much sooner in the draft than anyone is currently expecting. 
Simpson has long been seen as the draft’s QB2, behind the consensus No. 1, Mendoza. He had some competition in Oregon quarterback Dante Moore in early speculations, but Moore returned to Eugene for another season, essentially clearing the field of competition for Simpson. The hierarchy lately has been Mendoza at QB1, a large gap between him and Simpson at QB2, then another significant gap between Simpson and the next group of passers which includes Penn State’s Drew Allar, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, and Miami’s Carson Beck.
Though there’s been a perceived gap between Mendoza and Simpson, there have been projections in which Mendoza and Simpson mirror Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart from last year’s draft, with Mendoza at the top and Simpson standing a chance at sneaking into the back of the first round. Pauline, though, is asserting that some now believe Simpson could end up hearing his name sometime in the first 12 picks of the draft next month. These rumors started spreading even before Simpson impressed scouts and coaches at the NFL Scouting Combine last weekend, further bettering his position in the eyes of the NFL’s talent evaluators.
Pauline also noted a specific team that seems particularly interested in the former Crimson Tide passer, claiming the Browns have been “doing extensive work on Simpson.” This notion had been floated days earlier by Mary Kay Cabot at Cleveland.com. Cabot had written how new head coach Todd Monken has been a fan of Simpson since the days he recruited him as the offensive coordinator at Georgia years ago.
“I like Ty,” Monken told reporters at the combine. “I liked Ty when he was coming out (of high school). When I first got to Georgia, they hadn’t offered him, and I went up there and talked to his dad. In fact, his dad, Jason, is a Southern Miss alum, and I was the head coach at Southern Miss. So, we got to know them really well. Really fond of Ty, obviously, really good football player.”
Monken went on to note that his new team will not be complacent with the players it has in the building already. He told the media, “We’re going to do our due diligence to make sure that our roster–, that we put ourselves in the best position we can to score points, which starts with that (quarterback) position.”
Currently, the top projected contenders to win the QB1 job in Cleveland are the much-maligned Deshaun Watson and second-year Pro Bowler Shedeur Sanders. We haven’t seen Watson’s best football since two years before Monken offered Simpson at Georgia in 2022. And, though Sanders provided some excitement here and there as a rookie fourth option in Cleveland last year, he has a long way to go before he can be securely considered QB1. With Monken and Co. pledging to explore all options at quarterback, including external options, it stands to reason the Simpson could join the party in Cleveland and become another horse in the race for the starting job.
The Browns currently hold the Nos. 6, 24, and 39 draft picks on Days 1 and 2 of the draft. Simpson likely isn’t going sixth overall, unless some serious pressure and competition build up around the 23-year-old, so Simpson could be Cleveland’s selection at No. 24 or in the early second round. In order for Pauline’s top 12 prediction to be more feasible, the Browns may search out a team in the six picks behind them who may be looking to move up, and trade back to acquire some extra draft capital and draft Simpson a bit closer to his perceived draft projections.
Browns To Conduct Open QB Competition; Outside Options In Play
The Deshaun Watson contract is in its final year. Because of the numerous restructures the Browns have made on the disastrous fully guaranteed deal, it is widely expected to remain on Cleveland’s payroll in 2026. Because of the void years-driven restructures, Cleveland is positioned to carry considerable dead money from the deal in 2027.
Jimmy Haslam admitted the 2022 trade/extension sequence was a mistake, but because of how costly it would be for the Browns to release Watson this year, he remains on the roster. This is the closest thing the NFL has seen to a bloated MLB-like contract clogging a team’s payroll, and other teams will use the deal as evidence they do not need to authorize fully guaranteed long-term accords. But Watson may not be done as a Browns player yet.
Todd Monken confirmed the embattled QB will be part of an open competition for the 2026 job. While Shedeur Sanders finished the 2025 campaign as Cleveland’s starter, Monken did not commit to him in his first year on the job.
“I don’t know why it wouldn’t be an open competition,” Monken said (via Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano) at the Combine. “And I don’t mean that harshly, but I don’t think there’s enough on film over the last couple of years one way or the other to say, ‘Boy, we have a starter at quarterback’ yet.
“… I think any time that you have a player that, at one time, has exhibited the skillset at an elite level, I think you’re always going to give them the benefit of the doubt that somehow we might be able to get that out of him again.”
Watson’s woeful performance has called many to label the Browns’ 2022 trade, when factoring in the contract component, as the worst in NFL history. While the Broncos managed to escape their Russell Wilson albatross contract and reach back-to-back playoff brackets despite the record-setting dead money number, the Browns cannot do the same with Watson. If they cut the nine-year veteran this offseason, it would bring $131.16MM in dead money. Even spread over two years, that is untenable. So, the Browns essentially have no choice but to see if the former Texans Pro Bowler can make an impact in an age-31 season.
Watson’s 33.1 cumulative QBR since the 2022 season ranks as the worst among qualified options in this span, per ESPN.com’s Daniel Oyefusi. He is tied to an $80.72MM cap number. The Browns will once again, per Oyefusi, restructure the deal. That will mean a lower 2026 cap number but more dead money once Watson is off the roster in 2027.
This contract undoubtedly influenced the Browns’ coaching search, with a few names — Jesse Minter, Mike McDaniel and Grant Udinski — dropping out of the running. Monken’s job will be tougher for two years as a result, but for now, the new Cleveland HC will at least include the 30-year-old QB in a competition along with Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.
It would be a surprise if Watson won the job, though the Browns do not have a good avenue to an upgrade. Fernando Mendoza is widely expected to go first overall to the Raiders, and this draft class features a gulf between Mendoza and the field at QB. GM Andrew Berry said the Browns would look for an outside starter, rather than limiting the competition to a Sanders-Gabriel-Watson derby, but said it is “to be determined” when asked if the Browns have a realistic path to adding a viable veteran.
The Browns, who have been linked to Malik Willis and Alabama’s Ty Simpson thus far this offseason, are projected to hold barely $3MM in cap space. They also do not have any of their 2025 O-line starters under contract. The team chose Gabriel two rounds before trading up for Sanders, calling many to wonder how invested Berry and then-HC Kevin Stefanski were in the two-year Colorado starter. Gabriel will not be ruled out of the competition.
“He may be forgotten externally, but he’s not forgotten to us,” Berry said, via Oyefusi. “Look, Dillon, he’s working. He’s going to handle everything that’s within his control, and we love all of our players and our home roster. Dillon’s a guy that has a bright future in this league.”
Sanders usurping Gabriel last season may precede the Browns adding a starter-level option in free agency or via trade or selecting a developmental option in the draft. Gabriel should be considered a trade candidate, per The Athletic’s Zac Jackson, who expects the Browns to deal the diminutive quarterback this offseason.
The Browns traded two QBs (Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco) after having both in camp last year, but they may not have room for both Sanders and Gabriel on the roster — with Watson’s contract keeping him in place — if another QB is added this spring.
Further exposing Pro Bowl accolades as a modern measure of success, Sanders received an invite after throwing 7 TD passes and 10 INTs in eight games (seven starts). Sanders completed just 56.6% of his passes, though he went 3-4 as a starter. Gabriel played in front of Sanders throughout training camp and received the first crack following the Flacco trade. He finished with a 7-2 TD-INT ratio and completed 59.5% of his throws (Sanders, though, fared better in yards per attempt — 6.6 to 5.1 — than his rookie teammate).
Watson, who suffered two Achilles tears since October 2024, did return to practice late last season but was never activated. He will be expected to participate in the Browns’ offseason program, where Monken and Co. will evaluate the latest Cleveland QB competition.
Final Deshaun Watson Lawsuits Dismissed
At one point, Deshaun Watson was the subject of 27 civil lawsuits stemming from allegations of sexual misconduct. That number dwindled in short order, but two loomed until very recently. 
The Browns quarterback will not see the remaining suits proceed to trial. The final two Watson lawsuits have been dismissed by the plaintiffs, as detailed by Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today. Both were dismissed with prejudice roughly one month ago, an indication a confidential settlement was reached in each instance.
One of the two outstanding cases had Lauren Baxley as its plaintiff. She was the last client of attorney Tony Busbee, who represented all but one of Watson’s accusers. The Baxley case was scheduled to proceed to trial on March 30. The other case’s trial was scheduled to begin on February 18. Instead, both matters are now closed.
“Case is settled,” Buzbee confirmed on Monday. “That’s all I can say about it. That’s the last case so that ends my involvement with Deshaun Watson litigation.”
March of 2021 marked the beginning of suits being filed against Watson. All contained allegations of sexual misconduct dating back to his tenure with the Texans. 24 of those suits were settled confidentially in 2021, with another being withdrawn not long after it was filed. The Texans were themselves the subject of allegations the team enabled Watson’s actions during massage sessions and did not prevent them. Settlements were reached with 30 women.
The possibility of civil litigation loomed when Watson was the subject of trade negotiations, but his market picked up once it became clear no criminal case would be in play. In the end, the Browns won the Watson sweepstakes and paid a trade price highlighted by three first-round picks. As part of the blockbuster move, Cleveland gave Watson a five-year, $230MM extension which was guaranteed in full.
To say the least, things have not gone according to plan. After returning from an 11-game suspension, Watson has dealt with a number of injuries and failed to meet expectations when on the field. In all, the three-time Pro Bowler has played just 19 games across three years as a Brown. Watson is currently recovering from the two Achilles tears which kept him sidelined for 2025.
A path may exist for the 30-year-old to earn the Browns’ starting quarterback position next season. In any event, a release following the 2026 campaign would come as no surprise despite the cap implications of doing so based on the restructures worked out by Cleveland over the course of Watson’s ill-fated Cleveland tenure.
Browns’ Deshaun Watson Could Compete For QB1 Role In 2026
We heard last month that the Browns would likely retain quarterback Deshaun Watson for 2026, the last year of his contract. General manager Andrew Berry recently confirmed as much, as relayed by Cleveland.com’s Orange and Brown Talk Podcast.
During a recent installment of that podcast, Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot said Watson could find himself as the club’s starting quarterback once again, even if he is only a bridge to a younger passer. Watson has underperformed during his 19 appearances with Cleveland, but the other two QBs currently on the roster – Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel – failed to impress during their rookie campaigns in 2025.
The Browns will again be in the market for a quarterback in the first round of this year’s draft. They are armed with their own No. 6 overall pick and another first-rounder whose position will ultimately be determined by how the Jaguars finish the season, which could help Cleveland’s ability to trade up for a signal-caller if need be.
Regardless of how the Browns’ QB room looks after free agency and the draft, it appears Watson will be in the mix to be the Week 1 starter. Prior reporting indicated he has served as a valuable veteran presence for Sanders and Gabriel, and Cabot adds that the Browns liked what they saw from Watson after they opened his practice window in early December (even though he ultimately saw no game action in 2025 due to his Achilles injury).
Cabot did acknowledge that Watson’s status with the Browns could hinge on whom the team hires to be its next head coach. Former Ravens HC John Harbaugh is widely regarded as the best option on the market at the moment, and he reportedly has interest in the Browns’ gig. Cabot says Cleveland’s longtime divisional foe would be the sole decision-maker on the quarterback situation if the team is able to hire him.
“If you hire a John Harbaugh, he is certainly going to have every bit of say in who his quarterback is going to be,” Cabot said (h/t Yardbarker’s Zac Wassink). “He’s not just going to have input. He’s going to make that decision 100 percent.”
As a member of the Browns, Watson has compiled a 9-10 record, and his best season came in a six-game slate in 2023, when he finished with a traditional quarterback rating of 84.3 and a QBR of 43.7. His contract situation and off-field baggage aside, he has not looked like a viable starting quarterback since 2020, when he was a member of the Texans.
But he will not turn 31 until September, at which time he may have another opportunity to resuscitate his playing career.
Browns Will Not Activate Deshaun Watson From PUP List
Wednesday marks 21 days since the Browns opened Deshaun Watson‘s practice window. Rather than moving the high-priced quarterback to the active roster and allowing more practice work, the Browns are shutting him down.
Watson’s journey back from two Achilles tears will end today, as Kevin Stefanski confirmed Tuesday (via cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot) Browns will let his practice window close. This will prevent Watson from playing this season, though that was always a long-shot proposition. He will revert to the season-ending PUP list.
This will bring a second full Watson season to a close without a snap taken. The Texans made their then-franchise QB a healthy scratch throughout the 2021 season, after Watson had requested a trade before an avalanche of sexual assault or misconduct allegations surfaced to effectively stall the former Pro Bowler’s career. The Browns were undeterred, sending three first-round picks and more to the Texans for the embattled QB in 2022. That has proven to be a disastrous decision, as Watson was given an unprecedented contract and had not come close to delivering a return on investment before the October 2024 injury.
After submitting woeful on-field work to start the 2024 season, Watson suffered an Achilles tear. During his rehab process, the ninth-year veteran retore the tendon to set back his rehab. The Browns parked Watson on their reserve/PUP list after training camp, and although he did return to practice on December 3, it was never viewed as likely Cleveland would reinsert him into a game. The step toward that happening would have been an activation from the PUP list, which will not take place.
Shedeur Sanders is currently in place as Cleveland’s starting quarterback. The fifth-round rookie has shown flashes, but it is far from certain — regardless of Stefanski and GM Andrew Berry‘s futures in Ohio — the organization will prioritize the second-generation pro to the point he will receive a legitimate shot to become a long-term option. Sanders’ rookie contract does complement Watson’s albatross accord, but the Browns have two first-round picks in 2026. This could be an avenue for the team to finally make a big-ticket investment at a position doomed by the Watson trade.
Watson, 30, still has one season remaining on the five-year, $230MM extension. The Browns memorably guaranteed that contract in full to convince Watson to come to Cleveland, as the Falcons were believed to be where the QB — a Georgia native — was set to go had Berry and Jimmy Haslam not put the $230MM guarantee on the table. Haslam has since admitted a mistake on acquiring Watson, but in the NFL’s closest example of a contract genre the NBA and MLB have seen cripple teams, the deal has been too onerous to remove from the payroll. This pattern well persist into 2026.
As it stands, Watson is set to count $80.72MM on Cleveland’s 2026 payroll. The 2026 cap hit would have checked in south of $50MM as originally designed, but Berry has gone to the restructure well several times to save cap space over the course of this franchise-altering pact. It would cost the Browns $131.16MM in dead money to release Watson in 2026. Even with a post-June 1 designation available to spread that amount through 2027, the team is viewed as likely to retain the nonfunctional QB next year.
While a Browns party line has called Watson a valuable veteran presence for rookies Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, he assuredly would have been jettisoned long ago had the team not fully guaranteed the contract. Teams have not followed suit, much to the NFLPA’s chagrin, on anything close to a fully guaranteed long-term deal since this Browns extension emerged. Based on its calamitous outcome, Watson’s deal should remain an outlier for the foreseeable future in the NFL.