The New Orleans Saints were already pretty sure what their matchup was going to be at the quarterback position on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.
They learned the status of Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson officially 90 minutes before kickoff for their Week 9 clash.
The decision won’t change what the Saints need to do. They come out of their bye week at 2-5, and they likely need to beat the Browns on Sunday to avoid being sellers ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline.
But it is notable that for the first time this season, Cleveland will have a different starting quarterback.
Why is Shedeur Sanders Playing QB Today?
Sanders is playing quarterback for the Browns because Deshaun Watson is inactive.
The Browns made it official that Watson is out when they put out their inactive report 90 minutes before kickoff.
Watson isn’t even the QB2. It’ll be the lefty Dillon Gabriel serving as Sanders’ backup.
Sanders relieved Watson just briefly on Sunday and completed 2-of-2 passes for a total of 2 yards. Sanders did throw an incompletion, but it didn’t count after the play was brought back for a penalty on the offense.
That was Sanders’ second appearance of the season. He had completed one pass for 0 yards earlier this season.
The polarizing QB out of Colorado played in eight games in 2025. He completed 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Sanders also ran 21 times for 169 yards and a TD in his rookie season.
What Happened to Deshaun Watson?
The Browns got Watson back at practice on Friday, but he didn’t practice with the first team this week as he worked to clear concussion protocol.
With Sanders having done the work with the first-team for most of the week, he gets the nod.
Watson hurt his head in Sunday’s loss to the Steelers.
This is what the Browns shared on their official website on Wednesday: “During the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Steelers, Deshaun Watson took a helmet-to-helmet hit. The ATC spotter called down to the sideline, and the Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultant (UNC) administered a gameday concussion evaluation. Deshaun was cleared by the UNC and returned on the Browns’ next offensive series. As part of the protocol, the team’s medical staff evaluated him again postgame and Monday morning. Both times he showed no symptoms, passed his evaluations, and was cleared. On Tuesday morning, he reported to the medical staff that he began experiencing concussion symptoms Monday night and was immediately placed in the concussion protocol.”
Watson played most of Sunday’s game after the head injury, but evidently symptoms got worse, and it started the ball rolling toward a Sanders start against the Saints.
Why Shedeur Sanders is Playing QB Today, not Deshaun Watson