Deshaun Watson is cleared of his injuries to play, and everybody has quickly picked sides in the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback competition. But analyst Brady Quinn has sided with Watson for a specific reason. 

In a conversation with Browns expert Ken Carman and Anthony Lima of 92.3 The Fan, Brady Quinn of Fox Sports agrees that he would choose Watson as the starter for Cleveland this season.

“If he's [Deshaun Watson] healthy and he's able to then you gotta play him. Then you can move to the younger guy depending how things go,” Quinn said. “Go with the guy with the most experience, the most starts doing it. And see if there's anything left to salvage because of the commitment you made, however many years ago.”

Watson had a meteoric rise in the NFL in his initial seasons. He stunned everyone as the QB for the Houston Texans and caught the attention of the Browns’ decision makers. They traded Watson from the Texans and signed with a five-year, $230 million contract. 

So, no matter how much the Browns say Watson's deal was "big swing and miss," Quinn believes they must at least get what they paid for.

In 2020, the season that impressed franchise owner Jimmy Haslam, Watson threw 33 touchdowns and only seven interceptions for a league-high 4,823 receiving yards. 

But the 30-year-old has been in and around the NFL since being drafted 12th overall in 2017. Still, Watson is undoubtedly more experienced and has the seniority over Sanders.

Last season, Sanders had a completion rate of over 56 per cent for seven touchdowns, 1400 receiving yards and a 3-4 QB record. Whereas, Watson in his rookie year had a completion rate of over 61 per cent for 19 touchdowns, 1699 yards and a 3-3 record.

Yet the buzz around Haslam's decision to acquire him has faded.

How Watson’s Absence Has Shaped the Browns and This Competition

While Quinn has made his stance clear, the Browns and new head coach Todd Monken have declared an open competition for the starting spot.

"Well, I wouldn't say they're going to be evenly dispersed," Monken said at the NFL annual meetings. "But we'll definitely disperse them to give ourselves a chance to at least evaluate who we have on the roster, whoever that might be as we go through the off-season."

However, Quinn argued that Watson should be given one last chance. As both he and the Browns are contractually bound for another year. But it is a risky ask of Watson, who played only 19 games in the past four seasons. 

He was last seen in action in October 2024, when he hurt his Achilles tendon and re-ruptured it again in less than three months. Watson sat out the 2025 season entirely.

In his absence, Dillon Gabriel started, and Sanders took over as the QB1 from Week 11.

Who do you think should start the 2026 season for the Cleveland Browns? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.

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Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore