Based on their performance in the past two NFL Drafts, the Cleveland Browns have established a very strong foundation for the future. Now, their quarterback decision for this season could determine if they are done setting the stage for the years to come.
The open competition for the starting job between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson might say everything anyone needs to know about that. Sanders is still seen as more of a developmental project than a win-now QB, but figuring out what they have in him as a potential long-term starter could benefit the Browns more going forward.
Watson, on the other hand, is being perceived as the way for the Browns to have the best season they can right now. There is plenty of downside to that, as he can become a free agent after this season, and a mediocre record could take Cleveland out of the running for a quarterback from the talented 2027 NFL Draft class.
Insider Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com recently made it clear what the top priority should be for the Browns in 2026, and that is choosing the quarterback “who gives them the best chance to win football games.”
“I definitely think that the compass for this football team this year, in terms of the quarterback situation, is going to be who gives them the best chance to win football games. Nobody has the stomach for development. Nobody has the stomach for trying to see if you can get a high enough draft pick to get your hands on an Arch Manning, or a Dante Moore, or a LaNorris Sellers next year in the draft. The only thing this town and this team have an appetite for anymore right now is winning. That’s what they have to try to do,” Cabot said.
That should be the simple answer, really, but nothing is ever easy when it comes to the Browns and their quarterbacks. Cabot tries to defend this line of thinking by saying that the team also needs to create excitement in order to sell personal seat licenses (PSLs) and generate anticipation for their new stadium, which isn’t set to open until 2029. So, it can be argued that a buzz will likely happen no matter who the QB is or how the team fares this year.
A more reasonable explanation put forth by Cabot is that Todd Monken does not want to suffer through a losing season while developing a quarterback in his debut year as one of the oldest first-time NFL coaches in history. Another well-below .500 campaign would not set a good tone for the rest of his tenure.
Yet, neither would playing a quarterback that has absolutely no future with the team beyond this season, and that could wind up applying to Watson, or Sanders, or both.
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Browns’ 2026 Outlook Hinges On One Uncomfortable Truth