After months, Deshaun Watson has finally won the quarterback battle against Shedeur Sanders. He is all set to push the Browns’ fate away from a disastrous 5-12 season. But with just 19 passing touchdowns in as many appearances, questions over his performance keep rising in the final year of his contract.

“I don’t know that he has a very long leash,” Mary Kay Cabot said on cleveland.com’s YouTube channel. “I really don’t know about that. I do think that there is a sense of urgency to win games this season. So they’re not trying to throw the season away. They’re not trying to tank to get a higher draft pick or anything like that. So, I think they do want to play good, winning football and get to victories as soon as possible.”

The Cleveland Browns begin the season with two straight road games before returning to Huntington Bank Field on September 27. That makes those opening games especially important for Watson. In fact, Cabot even spoke about how things might change if he cannot deliver in these two games.

“I would have to say, if he’s not getting the job done after those first two games, maybe they do look at things,” Cabot further added in her take on September 2.

The biggest concern is that Deshaun Watson has not played an entire regular-season game after appearing in 7 in 2024. He suffered a season-ending ruptured right Achilles, and because of that, he also missed the entire 2025 season after again suffering an Achilles re-rupture.

So there are questions about whether he can still perform at his best. He has also played only 19 games for Cleveland and has a 9-10 record as the Browns’ starter.

Watson’s preseason has been a mixed bag so far. He looked solid against the Bears, completing 11 of 15 passes for 126 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and a 98.2 passer rating. But things went downhill against the Bills, where he completed only 5 of 12 passes for 36 yards, threw one interception, and posted a poor 14.6 rating. He did not play against the Patriots.

On top of that, the bigger issue is that Watson is not a young quarterback who can simply use these struggles as part of the learning process. He is an experienced veteran playing in the final year of a fully guaranteed $230 million contract, which has already been seen as a major failure during his first four years with Cleveland.

The Browns have never appeared in a Super Bowl, let alone win one. Every loss makes their position worse in the league. Now, if Watson can’t do much in the first few weeks, he might also have to bid goodbye to his QB1 position, with Shedeur Sanders keen on taking his place.

Browns Reporter Backs Watson’s QB1 position

Despite starting eight games as a rookie last season and throwing for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns, Shedeur Sanders did not win the Browns’ starting quarterback job.

On the other side, Deshaun Watson has thrown for 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions with an 80.7 passer rating in his three years with the Browns. So, fans clearly couldn’t make peace with this decision.

His performance already drew criticism from fans as they booed Watson during the Browns’ preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills. However, for head coach Todd Monken, the boos would not affect the decision. But others clearly saw the difference.

Browns reporter Daryl Ruiter made it clear that there is not too much separation between their performance, and Shedeur Sanders might take up Watson’s position if things go south. Still, he believes that Watson is more ready to start games.

“I just didn’t see much separation between the two guys,” Ruiter said. He added, “I think that Deshaun is more ready to play than Shedeur. But I think Shedeur, by the time we get into the season here, that can change. I think Shedeur will be ready to play, and ultimately this thing’s going to get turned over to him at some point, for one reason or another.”

Watson now knows that he only has one year to justify his price tag and secure his future in the league.

“I mean, it’s a blessing,” Watson said. “It’s great. Anytime you get the opportunity to play in the National Football League is an honor. So, I don’t take it for granted. I work hard to do what I need to do every day to just try to put out the best product I can on the field.”

Now, one small mistake can also push Watson to the edge. It’s not just about losing the starting job but also about not being able to prove his real caliber.