Deshaun Watson is in a desperate race against time. With just two weeks left before training camps kick off, Watson is cutting short vacation time to land the QB1 spot, bringing along key personnel back to Cleveland.

Browns insider journalist Mary Kay Cabot revealed the same on 'The Ken Carman Show with Anthony Lima' when she was asked about the competition for the QB1 spot.

“One of the interesting developments this week was the fact that Deshaun took it upon himself to come back into town on his summer break,” said Cabot. “He brought his physical therapist, Billy Voltaire, with him from Florida, and he also brought his quarterbacks coach, Quincy Avery, up here with him.”

Watson has a point to prove. After receiving his $230 million contract in 2022, he hasn't lived up to the hype in Cleveland, not playing a complete season in his first three years, and spending 2026 on the sidelines.

During the same time, he managed only 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 19 games, a sharp drop-off from his 4800 yards from 2021. After a time marked with injuries and inconsistency, the QB cut short his vacation in Europe to report to Cleveland.

Getting the starter job will be the first step to redemption in Cleveland for Deshaun Watson. He's in the final year of his contract; the QB will want to show just what he has to offer to the team. His arrival puts him in a prime spot, as he was seen taking reps with the likes of Harold Fannin Jr., as Mary Kay Cabot later explained.

"He was out there throwing to some guys, including Harold Fannin, which is another interesting development, because Harold hasn't been practising this off-season."

Fannin Jr. has been out with a groin injury that he picked up in Week 17. He had been on the track to recovery. And with Watson picking up reps with the highest-performing receiver from the squad last season (731 yards and 6 touchdowns), the QB may be on track to secure the QB1 spot.

With Watson set to take over the top spot, is Shedeur Sanders worried?

Sanders dismisses QB rivalry with Watson ahead of training camp

After this week’s training at Berea, Watson will host some of his offensive teammates for a passing camp in South Florida mid-July. 

Sanders, who is also vying for the QB1 job, dismissed any animosity between him and Watson by saying during the minicamp that he’d like to join the passing camp instead of hosting his own. 

“We’re a team. If one of us chooses to do something, we’re all going to do it together as a team,” said Sanders, according to Cabot on cleveland.com. “It’s not an individual thing. So that’s the thing, like the QB room, we’re all connected. We’re all cool. That’s the difference. We all communicate with each other.”

The Browns QB room currently has Watson, Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and rookie Taylen Green. Sanders added that conducting separate sessions will only cause separation and mess up the vibe on the team. 

As the QB1 battle heads to training camp and preseason, Sanders made it clear that the priority now is building chemistry with his fellow QBs in Cleveland.

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Written by

Naomi Grace

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar