Reporters 'hearing talk' Browns could make this Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson decision

New Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken insisted as recently as last week that veteran Deshaun Watson and 2025 rookie Shedeur Sanders will receive legitimate opportunities to win the team's starting quarterback job through this summer. 

For a piece published on Sunday, Browns reporters Zac Jackson and Jason Lloyd of The Athletic shared some information that may upset Cleveland fans who want Monken to hand the gig to Sanders before the 2026 NFL regular season gets underway. 

Should Deshaun Watson be considered the favorite to win the Browns' QB job over Shedeur Sanders?

"No matter how fast I run from it, I still keep hearing talk of Deshaun Watson actually running out on the field as the Game 1 starter," Lloyd explained. "I see no upside in trotting Watson back out there. What am I missing?"

Lloyd seemingly was referencing how the Browns giving up multiple first-round draft picks to acquire Watson and then sign him to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230M contract in March 2022 may go down as one of the worst decisions made by a club in NFL history. Watson has made just 19 regular-season starts for Cleveland, was arguably the NFL's worst starting quarterback the last time he was healthy during a campaign and hasn't taken a meaningful snap since he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in October 2024 and then reinjured the Achilles during his recovery. 

While Sanders was far from elite as he went 3-4 over seven starts during his debut pro season, the 24-year-old is a work in progress who presumably could improve and is on an inexpensive rookie contract. Meanwhile, there's no indication Watson will ever come close to reclaiming the form that made him a three-time Pro Bowl selection during his time with the Houston Texans (2017–21). 

Browns believe they can help Deshaun Watson resurrect his career? 

"I’ve been hearing it, too — and I don’t mean in these news conferences," Jackson said about the Browns possibly naming Watson their 2026 Week 1 QB1. "I mean, going back two months during (and around) our standard offseason travels and activities. Lots of people think the Browns really believe they can still get something out of Watson. I call that the definition of insanity, and even if Watson stays healthy and plays OK for a month or so, how does that help the franchise achieve any of its real long-term goals?"

Lloyd added that "playing Watson ahead of Shedeur Sanders feels like an admission to me that the organization doesn’t feel Sanders is the one." It sounds like some people within the Browns may already believe they know what Sanders will and won't be while with the AFC North franchise.