Browns insider expands on eyebrow-raising Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson report

Longtime Cleveland Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer upset pockets of fans and one free agent when she recently reported that Deshaun Watson "has the inside track to be named the Browns'" 2026 Week 1 starting quarterback over 2025 rookie Shedeur Sanders.

Later, Browns reporter Tony Grossi of The Land on Demand wrote that Watson has "a rather big edge...to win the starting quarterback job." During a Friday appearance on ESPN Cleveland, Grossi explained why that's the case. 

Why Deshaun Watson has an early lead over Shedeur Sanders in the competition for starting job

"Until they got on the field," Grossi said, "it was a mental competition. And [Watson has] got loads of experience to absorb the playbook and to change systems and to adapt to new language in the playbook. (2025 rookie) Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur don't."

Gabriel is currently Cleveland's third-choice option at the position and may become surplus to requirements after the Browns grabbed Arkansas signal-caller Taylen Green in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. 

Watson entered the league via the 2017 draft and earned three Pro Bowl nods through the 2020 season while with the Houston Texans. He then sat out the 2021 campaign amid his desire to be traded, and he has since made just 19 regular-season starts for the Browns since the fall of 2022. 

An injury to his throwing shoulder prematurely ended Watson's 2023 season. He suffered a torn Achilles tendon in October 2024, and he then missed all of last season after he re-injured his Achilles during his recovery. 

Why Browns may hope that Deshaun Watson beats Shedeur Sanders in QB competition

"It's only natural," Grossi said about Watson being penciled in atop the Cleveland depth chart as of May 1. "And if he's totally healthy, Watson's a better athlete than either [Sanders or Gabriel]."

During a Friday morning appearance on Cleveland's 92.3 The Fan, Browns head coach Todd Monken suggested that he isn't close to naming a QB1. Monken also said that he "would love to" have a starter by the time training camp practices get underway in July. 

Cabot indicated Sanders won't have enough time to close the perceived gap in the battle for the starting job before players begin their summer breaks in June.