Deshaun Watson may finally have the inside track back to the starting job in Cleveland. That's according to CBS Sports NFL writer Tyler Sullivan, who broke down the league's biggest quarterback battles heading into training camp and picked Watson to win the Browns' starting job over Shedeur Sanders.

“While he's shown plenty of rust during camp, Browns coach Todd Monken seems to be giving him the space to shake it off and, at times, it feels like Watson has the inside track for the job,” said Sullivan, as per CBS Sports.

Watson's path back to the field has been anything but smooth. He hasn't played a snap since tearing his Achilles in Week 7 of the 2024 season. 

The numbers tell the story of just how disrupted his Cleveland tenure has been.

Since arriving in the blockbuster trade with the Texans, Watson has played in only 19 games across four seasons, a staggering absence for a quarterback once viewed as a franchise cornerstone.

Even with that layoff, Sullivan, in the CBS Sports article,  believes Watson is trending toward reclaiming the job. That take puts Sullivan at odds with the idea that Sanders, who took over as Cleveland's starter for the final seven games of his rookie season, has the clearer path forward. Sanders completed 120 of 212 passes for 1,400 yards, 7 touchdowns and 10 interceptions during that stretch.

Either way, the pressure is on. Watson is still one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league, and the Browns need him to finally justify that contract after years of injuries and uneven play.

A win in this camp battle would represent his first real chance to prove that version of himself still exists.

CBS Sports analyst gives roadmap for Shedeur Sanders to take the starting QB job from Deshaun Watson

Deshaun Watson may have the early edge in Cleveland's QB battle, but CBS Sports' Garrett Podell, in his article, believes Shedeur Sanders still has a real path to the job.

“The case for Sanders is simple: let the young guy develop and see if he can get up to the NFL's speed,” said Podell. “The 24-year-old was overwhelmed by the transition from college football at Colorado to life in the pros with the Browns.”

Sanders struggled after taking over in Week 11 last season, ranking near the bottom of the league in completion percentage, interceptions and passer rating. But Podell notes plenty of that wasn't on Sanders alone. 

He took a beating last year. The Browns’ offensive line was the worst in the league at protecting the quarterback, allowing pressure on 45.5% of dropbacks. That entire unit is gone now as all five starters from 2025 have been replaced. The new group is younger and features rookie tackle Spencer Fano, who didn’t allow a single sack in his final 23 college games.

The Browns also added receivers KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston to fix a passing attack that ranked among the league's worst.

The QB battle is still ongoing. It remains to be seen who will push forward in the coming weeks.

Do you think Watson deserves to win the Browns' starting job over Sanders? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Zaid Quraishi

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi