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Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will be in the mix for the starting job.
Deshaun Watson’s personal quarterback coach didn’t hold back on the Browns-Malik Willis speculation that made the rounds during free agency.
Willis and Watson share the same representation. Agent David Mulugheta — who negotiated Watson’s fully guaranteed $230 million contract with Cleveland in 2022 — also represents Willis.
Mulugheta did not want to pit the two quarterbacks against each other, with Watson entering what could be a defining season as he tries to revive his career. With the dust settled and Willis having signed with the Miami Dolphins, Watson’s personal coach, Quincy Avery, made his feelings clear.
“Can I also just randomly say how stupid it was for anyone to ever think Malik was going to Cleveland,” Avery said. “You guys said that and folks listened. That would be an agent playing marbles when everyone else was playing 3d chess.”
Willis ultimately landed with the Dolphins on a healthy three-year, $67.5 million deal with $45 million fully guaranteed. The familiarity with new Dolphins GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley — who came over from Green Bay — made Miami a natural destination. Cleveland was never seriously in the picture.
Deshaun Watson’s Last Chance with Browns
Watson is heading into the final year of the most scrutinized contract in Browns history. After tearing his Achilles in October 2024 and then tearing it again during rehab, he missed all of 2025. He has played just 19 games since arriving in Cleveland via trade, going 9-10 as a starter. For Watson, the coming season is the last real opportunity to demonstrate he can still play in the NFL.
New head coach Todd Monken hasn’t written him off. At the NFL Scouting Combine, Monken made clear that a player who once showed such Pro Bowl upside deserves the benefit of the doubt — pointing to Watson’s 2020 season in Houston, when he led the NFL in passing yards.
“Anytime you have a player that at one time has exhibited that skillset at an elite level, you’re always going to give them the benefit of the doubt that somehow we might be able to get that out of them again,” Monken said. “I’m going to let it play out. I don’t decide who plays. The players decide who plays.”
Whether Watson can tap back into anything resembling that form after multiple injuries and rust is a separate question. But Monken is at least willing to find out.
Shedeur Sanders in Mix for Browns
Monken called Sanders’ “elite playmaking ability” undeniable but also acknowledged the rookie has a long way to go, as most first-year players do. Sanders started the final seven games last season, finishing 3-4 with 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions before earning a Pro Bowl alternate nod.
Monken has framed the entire situation as an open competition for the starting role.
“I don’t know why it wouldn’t be an open competition,” he said. “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, whether internally or externally.”
Beyond the internal options, Cleveland holds two first-round picks, giving the Browns a legitimate path to adding a quarterback. That could be Ty Simpson early or other options in the later rounds who may be more developmental. Former Miami and Georgia quarterback Carson Beck — projected in the mid-to-late rounds — is one name connected to Monken, who coached him as the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator.
Veteran free agents remain on the board as well, though the market has thinned quickly with Willis off the table.
J.R. DeGroote JR DeGroote is a staff writer for Heavy.com, where he has covered the NFL, NBA, and trending sports stories since 2019. His work focuses on some of the most passionate fanbases in sports, including reporting on the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Lakers. More about J.R. DeGroote
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