Deshaun Watson will certainly open the Cleveland Browns‘ regular season against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2026. But it makes you wonder: Is he actually a long-term option for head coach Todd Monken and Cleveland? Perhaps not. Many around the league say that the Browns are starting with Watson because of his five-year, $230 million contract that he signed four years ago.

The decision came when the franchise already has three young quarterbacks on the roster: Shedeur Sanders, Taylen Green, and Dillon Gabriel. On paper, it won’t be wrong to say that Sanders has a legitimate chance to establish himself as a franchise quarterback. But at the same time, it’s also worth noting that he failed to win a quarterback competition against someone who hasn’t taken a regular-season snap since Week 7 of the 2024 season.

That doesn’t mean Sanders lacks talent. It also raises a question of whether he can be the Browns’ franchise quarterback. ESPN’s Jordan Rogers believes that while it will be wrong to say that Sanders can’t be their franchise guy, the Browns are probably finding it difficult to figure out whether they have a long-term option because of a crowded young talent pool.

“Although we’ve seen some good some bad from Shedeur, I don’t think we can definitely say today that he can’t be a franchise guy,” said Rogers. “I think you could say the same thing about Dillon Gabriel. Not sure you know enough about Dillon Gabriel; not sure you know enough to know that he cannot or at least, a long-term backup option for you since you already spent draft capital on him or Taylen Green. We saw him scramble around.

“I just think there’s too much young talent that you may have an idea, ‘Okay, maybe he’s not our franchise guy. Maybe we still want to draft someone next year.’ But you don’t know for sure, and they’re not playing, so you’re not going to figure it out.”

Sanders started seven games in his rookie season and impressed enough to make a case for himself in his second season. However, his seven touchdowns against 10 interceptions, 56.6% completion percentage, and an 18.9 QBR rating didn’t seem enough for the Browns to name him the starting quarterback.

Throughout the offseason, Sanders dominated headlines for outperforming Watson in practice. However, following the first two exhibition games, Monken named Watson as his Week 1 starter. With Sanders and Green on the roster and Gabriel starting the season on IR, the Browns are betting on Watson for the 2026 season.

That doesn’t mean anyone from the depth chart is their long-term option, including Sanders. In fact, ESPN’s Louis Riddick believes that the Browns currently don’t have their franchise guy on the roster.

“(It) has been an argument that has been made numerous different time, I think there’s like absolutely zero chance that any of the quarterbacks that are on their roster right now that they feel as though they’re the long-term answer. The common sense just tells you that. It just does.”

Which brings us to the Browns’ future beyond the 2026 season. Cleveland has two first-round draft picks in the 2027 NFL Draft, with the 2027 class labeled as quarterback-loaded, including Dante Moore and Arch Manning.

The way things are shaping up, it suggests that the Browns may look to 2027 to find an answer at quarterback. And that certainly puts Shedeur Sanders in a very difficult position. Still, the second-year signal-caller can change the narrative this season. But for that, he will need an opportunity, which he currently lacks heading into the season opener.