The Cleveland Browns have yet to decide who will be their starting quarterback next season. While rookie Shedeur Sanders opined that the chances of a new draft pick are low, he might have to worry about being benched in favor of Deshaun Watson.

In his Tuesday episode, ESPN Cleveland’s host Tony Rizzo shared that both quarterbacks competing for the spot could create a Sanders vs Watson battle in the training camp.

“A competition between Shedeur, Watson, and Dillon Gabriel? Or will the Browns add a quarterback? I don’t see them adding a veteran quarterback; they've got that in Watson,” Rizzo said.

The Browns have had one of the most exhausting QuarterBack rotations in the league

In the past two years, the franchise has used seven different QBs, three of whom played in the 2025 season alone. 

Joe Flacco was a veteran who was traded to division rivals the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1, just when the franchise needed a season opener the most. After Flacco’s exit, Watson is the only veteran among the rookies on the roster. 

And now that Watson has made a comeback with only a year left in the contract, he has played more games compared to Sanders.

While he scored five touchdowns for 1,148 yards and threw three interceptions, Sanders threw seven touchdowns for 1,400 yards and was intercepted ten times. 

Rizzo brought up the new dynamics within the team after Todd Monken was announced as the new head coach.

While it is well known that Monken’s words carry weight, does he have the authority to decide Watson’s involvement?

Rizzo Also Mulled Over Deshaun Watson’s Contract

“Is there a scenario where Monken comes in here and goes, ‘You know what? Let’s get rid of Watson’. Is Watson a plus? Is there still a deal to be worked out there?” he asked.

“Where does he go somewhere else, and we get a cap relief? Or are the Browns locked in onto Deshaun being on the roster this year?”

Watson was offered a $230 million contract for five seasons. But after playing only 19 games and spending most of his time off the field due to injuries, franchise owner Jimmy Haslam called him a “swing-and-a-miss.”

If the Browns let him go before June 1, they will have to pay Watson an amount between $131 million and $172 million.

With limited options on the roster, the Browns need to find a fix and clear the uncertainty. Who do you think will be the starter next season?

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Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu