The Cleveland Browns can insist that their quarterback competition will be decided on the field, but the decision will not be made in a vacuum.
Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders will head to training camp, work in pads, get live reps and give Todd Monken a fuller picture of where things stand. Eventually, Monken will choose the quarterback he believes gives Cleveland the best chance to win.
But if Watson wins the job, the Browns will be choosing everything that comes with him, including the skepticism, fan reaction and awkward reality of having Sanders — one of the most popular players on the roster — waiting behind him.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com warned during an appearance on 92.3 The Fan that keeping Sanders as the backup could be more complicated than the Browns realize.
“[Can you keep him as the backup if he doesn’t win the starting job?] I think it would be challenging,” Cabot said. “I think the Browns probably believe they can do that. But I think that perhaps they would be underestimating the reaction that would be happening at Huntington Bank Field. This will be a unique situation if Deshaun wins the job because he’ll actually be better received on the road than he will be at home. And it’s a great way to start out the season with two games on the road. But then you do have to come home, and you are going to have to deal with the very real phenomenon of Shedeur being loved and Deshaun being the villain.”
Deshaun Watson Says He Can Handle Fan Reaction
The Browns traded for Watson in 2022, surrendering a massive haul of draft picks before handing him a fully guaranteed $230 million deal. He has played just 19 games since, leaving Cleveland with one of the NFL’s most expensive and complicated roster problems.
The last time he played in a regular-season game, Watson suffered an Achilles injury against the Cincinnati Bengals and heard boos from some fans as he went down. Several teammates pushed back publicly at the time, but Watson said that he has moved past the moment.
“At the end of the day, I can’t control what people support,” Watson said during minicamp. “I think that’s their own opinions. I think that all I can do is just put out the best person I am, showcase who I am as a person, as a player, as a teammate, and what I represent as an individual.”
Watson said he is in a strong place mentally as he tries to revive his Browns career after a lost 2025 season.
“I’m great mentally. I’m in a great space,” Watson said. “You know, my home is good. Me and my wife is doing a heck of a job just working each and every day mentally to just stay on top of what we need to stay on top of.
“At the end of the day, when I step in between the lines, I gotta lock in on the task at hand. And that’s just winning and being successful.”
Browns Still Sorting Out QB Battle
Monken has made it clear the Browns are not ready to name a starting quarterback. Watson and Sanders will continue competing into training camp and the preseason, where the Browns will get a better look at both quarterbacks in pads and in more realistic football settings.
“We’ll start off all camp just like we’ve been doing,” Monken said. “We’ll alternate those guys.”
The delay is not because Monken has been disappointed with the options. He has praised Sanders’ growth and said Watson has shown signs that he can still bring a different element if he is healthy.
“I think they both can start and play winning football,” Monken said. “I’m convinced of it.”
ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Rizzo recently said there have been “ongoing calls” about Sanders’ availability, raising the possibility that Cleveland could look to move him before training camp if the right offer materializes. The Browns have not publicly indicated they are shopping Sanders, and a deal still appears unlikely before they get a longer look at him and Watson in pads.
Browns Warned Over Deshaun Watson Decision