A Cleveland Browns legend is done with Deshaun Watson. Two-time All-Pro Hanford Dixon didn't hold back on the team's QB situation, declaring the starting job now belongs to rookie Shedeur Sanders.

"Jimmy's lost a lot of money with Deshaun Watson, right? Deshaun hasn't done a damn thing for this football team," Dixon said. "Let's just face it, gotta tell Shedeur that he is the starting quarterback now… Right now it's got to be Shedeur's job to lose."

Calling the QB1 role 'Shedeur's to lose' is a strong statement, but the numbers point towards why.

The Browns traded three first-round picks, along with a complete $230 million contract, to acquire Watson through a major trade that happened in 2022.

The Browns received a player who went on to play 19 games in four years with a 9-10 record. Watson missed the 2025 season after he underwent two Achilles surgeries.

Watson isn't entirely out of the picture, though. The Browns' owner, Jimmy Haslam, supports the possibility of improvement despite having referred to him once as a "swing-and-a-miss."

"Deshaun has a great chance of a fresh start with an offensive-minded coach who, in the past, has been able to work with all kinds of different quarterbacks and make them successful," Haslam said in early April.

On the other hand, rookie Shedeur Sanders finished 2025 with 1,400 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and a Pro Bowl nod as well, something Watson hasn't managed since 2020.

New team head coach Todd Monken has already flagged Sanders' upside, pointing to "elite playmaking ability" as something the organization is genuinely excited to build around heading into year two.

Monken Opens Up on Choosing a QB1 for 2026

For Todd Monken, the QB1 call is anything but straightforward. With Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders, and Deshaun Watson all in the mix, the battle is wide open.

The head coach has admitted that the offseason offers little clarity. Having coached Lamar Jackson through his 2023 MVP run, he knows exactly what elite looks like.

“It’s a little bit more difficult just because their No. 1 job is to get us in the end zone,” Monken said Wednesday. “That’s a little bit harder to really drill down, a couple of different reasons why. One is you’re not playing any games. You don’t have pads on. No one’s live.”

Despite earlier hints that Shedeur Sanders could get the first shot at QB1 reps, Todd Monken has since walked that back.

Pointing to past performance and how last season ended as key factors, Monken made it clear the decision is far from locked in, keeping the competition wide open heading into the program.

The current NFL season marks Watson's anticipated last year with the Cleveland Browns. The Browns' trade for Watson is viewed as one of the NFL's most costly errors, and the partnership could end in 2026 if he doesn't improve.

Written by

Abhay Bharti

Edited by

Aadesh Dhote