The history of the Cleveland Browns has been heartbreaking. Despite having some of the most loyal fans in the National Football League, the franchise has made countless mistakes over the years. The most recent one came in 2022, when the team decided to move on from Baker Mayfield to sign Deshaun Watson to the largest contract in league history – a move that ultimately turned into a major failure.
Mayfield had brought life back to Cleveland. With him at quarterback, the team reached the playoffs in 2020 and defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round with three touchdown passes from the current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback. It was Cleveland’s first playoff victory since the 1994 season. Even so, he was discarded by the franchise just one year later.
The Browns – especially then-head coach Kevin Stefanski – hoped to see the dominant version of Watson that once starred for the Houston Texans, but that never happened. Since arriving in Cleveland, the quarterback out of Clemson Tigers football has played only 19 games due to injuries and suspensions. He has also been sidelined since Week 7 of the 2024 season with a double Achilles tendon injury.
The competition will be between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders
Since 2022, the Browns’ quarterback situation has been a complete mess – something that ultimately cost Kevin Stefanski his job as head coach. Now Todd Monken, who recently took over the position, appears to be choosing between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders, as the team has limited cap space and very few viable options available on the market.
Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot explained after the NFL Scouting Combine on 92.3 The Fan Cleveland:
“I came away from Indy thinking that the Browns were pretty content and ready to move forward with Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders and see what they could do in a competition. They don’t have a lot of money to spend on another quarterback, and there just aren’t many good quarterbacks available this season. It feels like they will move forward with what they already have in the room.”
There has been speculation about several possibilities: signing Malik Willis in free agency, pursuing a trade for Kyler Murray, or even offering a big contract to Daniel Jones. However, none of those options appear close to becoming reality for Cleveland.
The Browns have also been linked to quarterbacks Ty Simpson and Drew Allar in the Draft, but that scenario also seems unlikely. For now, the decision appears to come down to Watson or Sanders.
At the moment, Deshaun Watson seems to have the edge, as he still has $46 million guaranteed for the 2026 season. However, he has not played since 2024, although he is reportedly fully recovered from his injuries. The second option is Shedeur Sanders, who finished last season as the starting quarterback, while the third alternative is Dillon Gabriel, although all indications suggest the team could look to trade him.
Read the full article here
