Deshaun Watson has the accolades and experience to beat Shedeur Sanders in the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback competition. However, he is at a major disadvantage. A recent analysis predicted that Watson, who suffered an injury that set back his career, is not healthy enough to beat the younger QB.

“A double Achilles rupture ends most careers. But betting a season on a quarterback who has not stayed healthy for a full year since 2020 is exactly the kind of decision that gets coaching staffs fired,” Steven of Stadium Rant wrote July 13. 

This prediction is alarming for Watson and his supporters. Recently, Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot highlighted that his arm, with a history of injury and surgery, slowed him down.

“He [Deshaun Watson] needs to get some proper rest over the break because I thought his arm seemed to tail off a little. Maybe he got the slightest bit of fatigue in his surgically repaired shoulder,” she said on the Orange and Brown Talk podcast.

Steven's detailed breakdown argued that Sanders should be the Browns' starting QB this season. The 24-year-old is overwhelmingly loved by fans and put forth a decent performance in his rookie season, given his odds. 

Most importantly, Sanders is younger and healthy unlike Watson. The 30-year-old veteran was last seen in action in October 2024, in a dud year. He ruptured his right Achilles tendon on the field and sustained another injury to the same place in 2025. 

He missed the entire season last year and proved to be a risk the Browns should have never taken. A concerning fact about Watson’s career in the Browns is that he has never played in all games of a season since they acquired him 2022.

“Monken knows it. The front office knows it. Even if Watson wins August, can anyone in Cleveland trust him to be standing in December?” Steven further asked. 

The Browns traded for him from the Houston Texans and signed him for five years with a guaranteed contract worth $230 million. In the past four years, he has played in just 19 games.

Meanwhile, in 2025, Sanders ended the season as the team’s lead passer with 1,400 yards. He threw seven touchdowns and ten interceptions from his mid-season debut in Week 10.

The quarterback competition has split experts and fans who are rallying for their favorite. The Browns have yet to announce the winner, but that day is still far away.

NFL expert predicts when the Cleveland Browns will announce their QB1

Earlier, Deshaun Watson appeared as the frontrunner in the Cleveland Browns race, but now Shedeur Sanders is believed to win the job. Insider reports and predictions emerge constantly but only the Browns can confirm who the winner is.

That announcement might come at the end of this month.  

“The first open practices kick off July 31, and every rep will be dissected. But barring an injury or a total August collapse, the outcome feels clear,” Steven wrote for Stadium Rant.

He opined that Sanders “earned the first crack” with his rookie performance and his development since has only strengthened it. He also noted that since 1999, the Browns have had 40 quarterbacks. 

However, Sanders could be an exception to this ‘Graveyard of Quarterbacks’ and be the franchise QB this season. Do you think this is Sanders’ job to lose? Tell us in the comments.

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Written by

Akanksha Biradar