More evidence Deshaun Watson will be Browns’ QB1 for some reason

The biggest question heading into next season for the Cleveland Browns revolves around who will be the starting quarterback for the team in 2026. Newly minted head coach Todd Monken has yet to name a starter, but the battle seems to have come down to Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders.

As OTAs continue, it seems that Watson is currently in the driver’s seat to land the starting role.

“#Browns Deshaun Watson goes first in the first team drill in OTA2, the first one open to the media. Walk-thru pace to start,” reported Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com on X, formerly Twitter.

Watson missed the entire 2025 season for the Browns as he worked his way back from a torn Achilles injury, with Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, and Sanders all having various stints as the team’s starting quarterback, and none of them finding a great deal of success.

Sanders’ youth, along with his national star power, has led some to pine for him to be the team’s starting quarterback heading into next year. However, the team has a great deal of money tied to Watson, so the ownership would likely want to at least try to get a return on investment on that front, even though the last time we saw Watson on the field, he didn’t look like a starting-level NFL quarterback.

Not many pundits expect the Browns to be very good next year, and it’s possible that if they bottom out, they could look to add their quarterback of the future in what is expected to be a deep 2027 NFL Draft class at that position.

In any case, the Browns’ 2027 season is slated to get underway in early September.

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