Deshaun Watson will not be replacing Shedeur Sanders this year as the Browns' quarterback for the remaining regular-season games.

To almost no one's surprise, Kevin Stefanski revealed in the press conference on Tuesday that the Browns have not activated the former Texans QB from the IR, despite him returning to practice.

“Yeah, he’s done a great job with everything that’s been asked of him. I’ve gotten to see him just work so hard, whether it’s in the training room, by himself in the indoor with the trainers, on the practice field now for the last bit," said the Browns head coach.

Watson had injured his Achilles' tendon last October and, to make matters worse, injured it again in January this year. He returned to practice on December 3 after missing most of the season. Tuesday was the deadline to activate him, but the Browns didn't go ahead with it.

"Just felt like this was the right decision for him and for us, and his focus will continue to be to help this football team and continue to get healthy and get stronger and all those types of things,” said Stefanski

It's a big deal because Watson is one of the most expensive players in Browns history. Unfortunately, due to the injury, he has yet to play a full season. Moreover, he remains under contract for the 2026 season with a fully guaranteed salary of $46 million.

Releasing him without a post-June 1 designation would result in a cap hit of more than $131 million, while using the designation would leave $80 million in dead money. However, Cleveland probably won't let that happen.

The Browns may have a plan for Deshaun Watson in 2026

There is no clarity over who will be the starting QB for the Browns in the 2026 season. Shedeur Sanders has a passer rating of 67.5 with 1,103 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions in 6 games this season. The opponents have sacked him 15 times.

The numbers are good from the rookie, but the interceptions and sacks are worrying. Insider reports suggest that if he fails to demonstrate the capability of being the starting QB in 2026, the team will opt for Watson.

Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland.com wrote in her report, “Even if the Browns decide to roll with Sanders, he’ll have to demonstrate throughout the offseason program that he’s poised to win in 2026, or the Browns will consider starting Deshaun Watson until he’s ready.”

In his 19 games with the Browns, Deshaun Watson has amassed 19 touchdowns for 3,365 yards. However, he's also thrown 12 interceptions. Do you think he can put up even better numbers if he returns in 2026? Tell us in the comments.

Written by

Reyansh Dubey

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi