Browns Receive Blunt Deshaun Watson Reality Check

The Cleveland Browns have yet to name a starting quarterback for the upcoming season, but the mere possibility that Deshaun Watson remains in the mix has sparked strong criticism from NFL observers.

Yahoo Sports senior NFL writer Frank Schwab did not hold back in his assessment of the situation, questioning why the organization continues to view Watson as a viable option after years of underwhelming results.

“Deshaun Watson stinks,” Schwab said. “When we watched him play football the past few years, he is not a good quarterback. There is a thing in this world called sunk cost. You’ve already paid all these picks and money for Deshaun Watson. It does not mean Deshaun Watson is going to become good. Why are the Browns doing this? What is the point, unless you are trying to tank?”

Schwab pointed to what he described as a deliberate media effort by the Browns to soften fans to the idea of Watson taking the field again. That push, he said, began during the previous season while the quarterback recovered from injury.

“I don’t understand why they’ve laid the groundwork for Deshaun Watson to start at quarterback,” Schwab said. “We know who he is and what he’s done off the field. It’s an embarrassment. It’s one of the most embarrassing things I’ve seen while covering the NFL.”

“I’d rather start Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel or Taylen Green. I’d rather start literally anyone off the street over Deshaun Watson.”

Watson arrived in Cleveland in 2022 via a high-profile trade that cost the Browns three first-round draft picks plus additional assets. The team then signed him to a fully guaranteed five-year contract worth $230 million. Owner Jimmy Haslam later described the move as a “big swing and miss,” yet the conversation around Watson’s future has shifted again even though he has not taken a snap in nearly two years.In his time with the Browns, Watson has started just 19 games across three seasons.

The team went 9-10 in those contests, and his play has not approached the level that once made him a league leader in passing yards while with the Houston Texans.

His last action came in 2024, when he started six games, finished 1-6, and recorded 1,148 passing yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions before suffering a torn Achilles. He later re-injured the tendon and missed the entire following season. Now, after nearly two full years away from regular-season football, Watson is working his way back and finds himself competing for the starting job once more.

“What are we doing here, Cleveland?” Schwab said. “This is why you’re the Cleveland Browns. Give up the dream about Deshaun Watson. It is not happening. Start anybody else on the roster or off the street.”

Meanwhile, the Browns have kept the quarterback competition open heading into training camp. Both Watson and second-year player Shedeur Sanders handled the bulk of first-team repetitions during organized team activities and mandatory minicamp.

Head coach Todd Monken explained that the staff wants more evaluation time with pads on, in controlled scrimmages and during preseason games before making a final call.

“It would feel different if I didn’t feel like their progression hadn’t gotten to this point where I think they both can start and play winning football,” Monken said back in June. “I’m convinced of it. And I’d say it if I didn’t. I mean, I can’t decide now because I think both have earned the opportunity to continue to compete once we put the pads on.”

Sanders, who threw seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions as a rookie, still faces questions about consistency. Yet he showed clear improvement this spring and represents a far less expensive option with upside as a potential long-term solution.

For a franchise that has spent heavily and sacrificed significant draft capital on Watson, the ongoing debate underscores the difficulty of moving past a costly investment that has yet to pay dividends on the field.

As training camp approaches, the Browns face a choice that continues to draw scrutiny from those who cover the league.