The Cleveland Browns are starting Deshaun Watson at quarterback against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2, but there is a reasonable to good chance it will be his last ride in orange and brown.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com outlined on Saturday, September 20 the circumstances that Watson is facing and the likelihood that Shedeur Sanders will succeed him for the team’s home opener against the Carolina Panthers eight days from now.
“After Watson stumbled out of the gate in last week’s 34-10 loss to the [Jacksonville] Jaguars, the leash has gotten very short, and Sunday’s game in Tampa will likely be his last start — possibly appearance — for the Browns unless he knocks it out of the park,” Cabot wrote.
“It means Sanders has an excellent chance to start next Sunday’s home opener against the Panthers, and the Browns expect him to play much better than he did last year as a rookie,” she continued. “With back-to-back home games coming up against Carolina and Pittsburgh … it might be the perfect time to pivot to the second-year pro.”
Deshaun Watson May Not Last Entire Game Between Browns, Buccaneers
Seth Walder of ESPN took it a step further than Cabot with a prediction he made on Friday, in which he wrote that Cleveland will remove Watson mid-game against the Bucs and replace him with Sanders.
“Browns backup QB Shedeur Sanders will throw a touchdown pass in this game,” Walder contended. “The Browns will finally come to their senses before the end of this game and will bench Watson. At that point it will be too late for Cleveland to win, but Sanders will at least manage a garbage-time score.”
The most common media theory in recent weeks has been that the Browns have intended to transition to Sanders by Week 3 all along, letting Watson play out the string on his five-year contract (the final year of which is 2026) and take the heat — both literally and figuratively — across the team’s two-game road trip through Florida to open the season.
Shedeur Sanders Won’t Have Easy Road After Becoming Browns’ Starting QB
Browns fans will certainly meet a promotion for Sanders with excitement after clamoring for that outcome since last month, when they booed Watson mercilessly and called for Sanders during a home preseason game.
That said, Sanders is likely to find himself on the hot seat within a matter of weeks if he takes the starting role but fails produce at a high level early and often.
Cleveland has sixth-round rookie quarterback Taylen Green on the bench as well as two first-round picks in the 2027 NFL draft with which to pursue a rookie franchise quarterback.
Among the potential options are Arch Manning of Texas, of whom Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is openly fond, and Darian Mensah of Miami, who is off to a historic start three games into the Hurricanes’ season.
Browns’ Shedeur Sanders Gets Big News on QB1 Spot Ahead of Bucs Game