On Wednesday, the Cleveland Browns announced what fans have been waiting to hear all season. Deshaun Watson, who tore his Achilles tendon last October and then injured it again in January, has finally entered the 21-day practice window. It has been over a year since the former Texans quarterback has been back on the field, and current QB1 Shedeur Sanders is excited about Watson's return.

The Browns QB talked about the impact the veteran would have on his practice now that they will be training together. “I feel like it’s great he’s going out there to practice. I know he’s been working hard to recover and doing everything he’s able to do for this day,” he said. 

Even though Watson is back very late into the season, he was supposed to be put out of it, so he worked hard and just might have sped up his recovery. Sanders, who has only started 2 games for the Browns so far into the season, had valuable insights from Watson, who he claims has been helpful behind the scenes.

“Well, I’d say for sure, what we do in the meeting room, we keep to ourselves. Y’all able to see what we able to do in public and whatever, but whenever we're in the building, we kind of keep that between us,” Shedeur Sanders said. 

Deshaun Watson advising Sanders is good for the rookie. After all, Watson has experience, making three straight Pro Bowls and leading the Texans to the playoffs twice. So, one can't help but ask the serious question.

Will Deshaun Watson regain his QB1 position over Shedeur Sanders?

In the three games he has played so far, Sanders has recorded a passer rating of 69.4 with 405 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. The numbers are average, and while some fans feel he is only growing and will do better with more games. Menwhile, others believe he hasn't lived up to the hype. 

However, Watson regaining his starting position is still uncertain. Watson first has to prove he is fit enough to play within the next 3 weeks. If he fails to do so, you probably won't see him before next season. And if he does, he won’t be available before the Week 17 game against the Steelers.

However, the picture can be different in the long run, i.e, the 2026-27 season. Watson has a passer rating of 80.7 with 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 19 games for the Browns. Meanwhile, Sanders has not played enough games to compare.

The Browns traded three first-round picks to the Texans for Watson and gave him a fully guaranteed $230 million contract. He still has one year left on it. So it's safe to say he will be battling with Sanders and Gabriel for the starting job in 2026. Who do you think should be the starting QB for the Browns?

Written by

Reyansh Dubey

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi