The Cleveland Browns have not been able to address their quarterback situation during the early stages of the NFL offseason, despite having what many people consider to be a glaring need at the position. Any potential upgrades have proven to be either unattainable or unattractive.
There is still plenty of time before training camp begins, but it looks like new head coach Todd Monken is destined to hold an open competition for the job deciding between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders. It is an unlikely turn of events, on many levels.
With that in mind, insider Tony Grossi sent a clear message about Watson and warned that, as hard as it may be to believe, he is a legitimate contender to be the Browns’ starting quarterback in 2026.
“Nobody wants to believe it, that Watson is a serious contender for the starting job versus Shedeur, and the better quarterback in this competition will win. I can’t call this race, but I do think it’ll be fair,” Grossi said.
“Watson is a serious contender for the starting job,” – @TonyGrossi on the upcoming Browns QB battle. pic.twitter.com/Cyx41xSwAe
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) March 11, 2026
Put aside the fact that Watson and the organization seemed to be done with each other multiple times since he arrived in 2022 in a trade with the Houston Texans. How they got to this moment over the past several months is just the latest chapter in their ongoing saga.
The Browns wound up ending last season with Sanders as the starting QB, which is a journey unto itself following his headline-grabbing fall to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. A four-man competition under former head coach Kevin Stefanski reached that unexpected conclusion following the trade of Kenny Pickett, the benching and trade of Joe Flacco, and an injury to Dillon Gabriel.
Sanders did show improvement, but he also had one of the worst statistical seasons of any QB in recent history and now has to learn a second offensive system in as many years without an exemplary work ethic. Watson sat out the year recovering from a setback following his latest season-ending injury, and if he becomes Cleveland’s Week 1 starter, it would be his first game action in almost two years.
There is still a long-shot chance that the Browns will trade for Anthony Richardson, or decide that they’d like to add a veteran like Kyler Murray or Kirk Cousins to the mix, but if they don’t, either Watson or Sanders will have an unexpected job no one saw coming.
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Browns Veteran Named Among Top Remaining Free Agents