It’s official. The quarterback battle in Cleveland has been won by Deshaun Watson, who will start the season for the Cleveland Browns in their first game on the road in Jacksonville.

Watson was battling second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders for the spot, which began in offseason workouts. After two preseason games, new Browns head coach Todd Monken has made his decision.

This may be surprising to some fans, given Watson’s struggles in his second preseason game on Saturday. In the game, he completed 5 of 12 passes for 36yards and one interception in four second-half drives. He was also showered with boos in his first home game since his torn Achilles, which he called “disrespectful.”

It begs the question. Did the Browns make the right decision?

The Case for Watson

Watson set an NFL record by getting $230 million dollars guaranteed from the Browns in his contract extension with the team. Cleveland not only invested heavily in Watson financially, but also gave up three first-round picks to acquire him from Houston. If you’ve recently gotten into the NFL, you may be asking why they gave up so much for Watson.

In Houston, he was a top quarterback in the league. Three straight Pro Bowls and led the league in passing yards in 2020. Watson was regarded as one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL. Then came the off-the-field issues. Over 27 women filed civil suits accusing Watson of sexual misconduct and assault during massage therapy sessions between 2017 and 2020. He served an 11-game suspension in 2022 with the NFL.

In February of this year, the two remaining lawsuits from the allegations were dismissed.

Inconsistent Play

After sitting out the 2021 season, Watson returned to the NFL field in 2022 following his suspension. It was clear he wasn’t the same. Fans gave him grace because he hadn’t seen NFL action in over a year, so they expected him to bounce back in 2023.

Injuries started to pile up. In 2023, Watson suffered a displaced fracture to the glenoid bone in his throwing shoulder, which required season-ending surgery. Still, across 12 games in two seasons, Watson didn’t look like his usual self. His yards per attempt, quarterback rating, and completion percentage went down. It was all trending downward.

In 2024, things were expected to change. Well, Watson suffered an Achilles tear, which caused him to miss the remainder of the 2024 season and the entirety of the 2025 season. In the seven games Watson did play for the Browns in 2024, he led the team to a 1-6 record and posted a career-worst 164 passing yards per game.

So Why Watson?

That’s a great question, ’cause even after coming back from the Achilles tear, Watson hasn’t looked good. The tape against Buffalo in preseason Week 2 isn’t pretty no matter how you spin it. The only reason the Browns are going with Watson is that he has a $40 million cap hit this season.

Another factor is the team starts on the road to open up the 2026 NFL Season. Two games in Florida against Jacksonville and Tampa Bay. It could be a way to protect Sander from having to make two straight tough-environment road starts, but it then raises the question. How long will the Browns run Watson as the No. 1 quarterback? Because if one thing is clear, he doesn’t elevate this offense in the slightest.

The Case for Sanders

There was a lot of conversation surrounding Sanders and his rookie season. He was projected to go in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but fell all the way to the fifth round.

Sanders didn’t start the season for the Browns, but eventually took over. He started seven games and went 3-4, completing 56.5 percent of his passes, throwing seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. It wasn’t pretty by any means, but you saw signs of promise within his game.

One of the main concerns for Sanders coming into the NFL was his arm strength and pocket presence. Both of those issues popped up throughout his rookie season, and at times he seemed limited to what he could do. But then you saw those flashes of him turning something into nothing, which was intriguing.

If you’re the Browns, you have to go with the younger, higher-upside player. General manager Andrew Berry made a mistake giving Watson the type of contract he did, which the team is still recovering from. There’s no need to waste any more time with Watson as the starter, and it’s time tos tart looking to the future. That future could be with Sanders, and by not going with him, the team’s vibes are in the gutter.

Outlook

Reality is the Browns won’t be a competitive team in 2026. They’ve made good moves this offseason and have had two intriguing drafts in a row. The one issue is the quarterback position. We know what Watson is. He’s a 30-year-old quarterback in this league. We don’t know what Sanders is. While he’s struggled at times in the preseason, the upside is still there. Which is why you have to give him the starting quarterback job, but the Browns didn’t.

Let’s be honest: if this team goes 3-14, all of this may not even matter. The 2027 class had loads of quarterback talent, and if neither of these options shows life, it’s onto the next. It’s the reality of the NFL, and honestly, most Browns fans have probably set their minds on drafting a quarterback this next offseason.