Though it’s been a couple of years since the Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. and the Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders played together, Horn Jr. is well aware of what’s going on in Cleveland. The Browns have yet to decide their starting quarterback between Sanders and veteran Deshaun Watson. However, when asked whether Shedeur would win the competition, Horn Jr. gave a telling answer.
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“I pray my boy do win that competition,” Horn Jr. said at training camp. “Right now, I’m worried about our season, what we got going on. But I pray my boy will win whatever they’ve got going on.”
Sanders and Horn Jr. were teammates for two seasons while playing for the Colorado Buffaloes under head coach Deion Sanders. However, following the 2025 NFL Draft, the former teammates were selected by two different teams.
Head coach Todd Monken hasn’t announced the QB1 for the regular season. However, ahead of the preseason games, the first-year head coach confirmed that both Sanders and Watson will start alternatively.
“One’s going to start this week, the other’s going to start next week,” Monken said, while further explaining, “I would like to see the quarterback play a half and get a two-minute [drive]. We’re going to do everything we can to try to get a two-minute, simulate that before the half. And we’re going to try to do the exact same thing the next week.
“…Somewhere along the line, you’ve got to pick somebody. It’s still a competition. We’re still excited to watch guys practice today, let alone on Saturday, and then next week against Buffalo. We’ll get a chance to see them both. And every week we’ll assess it.”
As that went down, ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed that Monken had told his quarterbacks on Wednesday that Deshaun Watson will start against the Bears, followed by Sanders starting against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2. As for the regular season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, however, the QB1 post is still up in the air.
Sanders is entering his second year following a decent rookie year, where he started in 7 games and led the Browns to a 3-4 record. During the stretch, he completed 56.6 percent of his passes for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Watson, meanwhile, hasn’t taken a professional football snap since the 2024 season, when he went down with an Achilles tear.
However, as he’s entering the final year of his five-year, $230 million deal, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport noted that Watson’s longevity with the Browns could favor him in his starting role.
“It certainly seems like Deshaun Watson has the leg up here. He’s the one who is more well-versed in the Browns’ operations.”
While the Browns are still determining their starting quarterback, one thing is certain that the QB drama will follow them once again going into the regular season.