Deion Sanders backs son Shedeur to ‘face haters’ and beat Deshaun Watson to Cleveland Browns job

Deion Sanders remains the biggest supporter of his son, Shedeur. as he enters the second year of his NFL journey.

Shedeur is currently locked in an intense battle with Deshaun Watson to earn the starting role for the Cleveland Browns in 2026.

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Cleveland is a franchise starved of success, having not won a Super Bowl since 1964, back when it was called the ‘NFL Championship’.

Whether the Browns will opt for the second-year quarterback or the experienced veteran remains to be seen, with new head coach Todd Monken remaining consistent in his recent stance that it will be an open competition until he says otherwise.

Deion backs ‘undervalued’ Shedeur to win Browns QB battle

Deion has experience not just with Shedeur as his father, but also on the football field.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer is the current head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, who quarterback Shedeur played for collegitately in 2023 and 2024.

In 24 games with the Buffs, Shedeur threw for 7364 yards with 64 touchdowns to 13 interceptions, and was projected to be a first round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

However, in one of the more dramatic draft slides in recent history, Sanders fell to the Browns in the fifth round.

This adversity is exactly why Deion thinks Shedeur will overcome Watson for the Browns QB1 job.

“Well, of course, I’m his dad. No, I haven’t spoken to him,” Sanders said.

“I’m just dad. Of course, man. He’s gonna face haters like he’s always had. He’s not gonna face anything new that he hasn’t faced in the entirety of his life.

“He’s always been up against the eight ball. He’s always been really undervalued, not really appreciated like he should, and he always comes through.

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“He likes when odds are stacked up against him.”

With the odds stacked up against him as a third-string backup, Shedeur clawed his way up the Browns’ depth chart during his rookie season.

Starting the final seven games of 2025, Shedeur threw for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns and led Cleveland to four wins.

Additionally, he was rewarded with Pro Bowl honors after player withdrawals.

Sanders has almost certainly leapfrogged Dillon Gabriel, who may have hinted he wants out of Cleveland in a cryptic Instagram post recently, in the Browns’ pecking order.

Standing in his way is Watson, whose tenure in Cleveland has been nothing more short of a disaster.

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Watson has appeared in just 19 games since signing his mammoth five-year, $230 million deal with Cleveland in 2022.

Watson tore his Achilles tendon in October 2024 and required another surgery after re-rupturing his Achilles, forcing him to miss the entirety of 2025.

As of now, Watson appears to have the edge in the battle with Shedeur, something fans are not particularly happy about.

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