Moving into the 2026 season, the Cleveland Browns have a big task. They will have to select their starting quarterback from the three available options. While fans are eager to know who will be the QB1, Todd Monken dropped his honest statement.

In a media interaction, Cleveland's new head coach said that all quarterbacks will have enough opportunities to play for the team. Yes, he included Dillon Gabriel, too, after pointing out that he has been absent from the offseason so far.

“There's enough there of all three. There's enough there to really like Deshaun [Watson], the way he plays,” Monken stated. “And there's enough there to really like the way Shedeur [Sanders] played at the back end of the year. And there's enough early in the year from Dillon. Someone's going to have to start off first, and someone's going to go second, and someone's going to go third.”

The Browns’ quarterback roster has been nothing short of a Jenga tower, and it fell apart in the 2025 season. Deshaun Watson missed the 2025 season after tearing his Achilles tendon for the second time, which required another surgery in January 2025.

Before surrendering to his grim reality, he wrapped up his third season in Cleveland with 1,148 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions. Gabriel then played in the first 10 games and was lackluster with seven touchdowns, two interceptions, and only 937 yards. 

His rookie season ended with a concussion, and Sanders replaced him for the remaining games. He threw seven touchdowns, 10 interceptions for 1,400 yards.

Experts and fans believed that the 24-year-old, ex-Colorado Buffaloes quarterback would be crowned as the QB1. After all, he made his footing strong by scoring three touchdowns against the Tennessee Titans in Week 14.

But there is a major hurdle. 

Todd Monken and the Cleveland Browns are left at a Crossroads With Deshaun Watson’s Comeback

Watson has recovered from his Achilles injury and is cleared to play. The veteran quarterback has also received a warm welcome from Monken and franchise owner Jimmy Haslam.

"He [Watson] certainly had the ability at one point, and we're cautiously optimistic," Haslam said.

Monken admitted upon his hiring that he was “intrigued” by three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson. All this is nothing short of siren wails for Sanders.

He was already benched last season in favor of Gabriel. Watson, 30, is the senior but hasn’t played since October 2024. The 2026 season is the last year of his five-year contract worth $230 million with the Browns. 

Monken has stated that each QB will receive snaps based on their performance history. This decision leaves two questions in its wake: Is there room for everyone? And who will go first?

Share your thoughts on the Cleveland quarterback competition in the comments.

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Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar