The Cleveland Browns quarterback competition has a winner and his name is Deshaun Watson.
Watson will start Week 1 for the Browns this season, according to head coach Todd Monken.
Four competitors entered the race – Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and Taylen Green. Watson and Sanders were always the leaders in the clubhouse, even if Monken declared it to be an open battle all summer long.
It marked the second consecutive season with a training camp battle for the "Dawg Pound," which was won by Joe Flacco in 2025.
Now Watson will get that honor in 2026 and can prepare accordingly for the Browns' Week 1 opener in Jacksonville against the Jaguars on Sept. 13.
Both Watson and Sanders were given the opportunity to start through the first two weeks of the preseason. Each were given the first half to audition, while the other had a chance to play the third quarter. The decision to split game reps came as the duo also alternated practice reps with the first team in practice.
Monken maintained throughout camp that he wasn't going into the battle with any preconceived notions, explaining to USA TODAY Sports' Jarrett Bell that the competition was close ahead of the Browns' preseason opener.
"It’s close," Monken told USA TODAY Sports before a camp practice. "People somehow think that, like, I have some hidden agenda, or like there’s some preconceived notion.
"Is that what they think I would do? I would just split the reps if I didn’t think it was a competition? That would be really silly. If I thought one was the starter, I’d give him the 'one' reps."
After evaluating everything, Monken decided on who will be his top "dawg."
The rookie head coach just has to hope that the wins will follow.
Monken told reporters the decision to roll with Watson was simply due to the veteran being ahead of Sanders during the competition.
"We felt over the course of training camp and the offseason that (Watson) was ahead of Shedeur," Monken said. "Shedeur's closed that gap, for sure. And that's a credit to him. We look forward to Shedeur continuing to grow as a player, but ultimately, we're about Week 1. Putting our best foot forward over the next three weeks."
Monken also opined the construction of the Browns' schedule, which includes two road games to open the season, made Watson the better choice to get the first crack at starting for the team.
"Took in the full body of work over the course of offseason to training camp to the games to joint practice, and ultimately felt like, to start the season on the road, Deshaun gave us the best chance to move the ball and score points," Monken said.
Monken further added that he is "not anticipating" the starting quarterback situation to change on a week-to-week basis.
"Ultimately we expect him to play well or we wouldn't be starting him," Monken said of Watson.
Watson was named the starter despite his comments disparaging Browns fans following the team's second preseason game.
Watson was booed throughout his outing at Huntington Bank Field, his first appearance at Cleveland's home stadium since he tore his Achilles during a game on Oct. 20, 2024. He did not take kindly to the reception he received, calling it "personal" and "disrespectful."
"I think the whole world knows it has nothing to do about the performance," Watson told reporters. "It’s a little bit more personal than that. So, I think it's a disrespectful thing. I'm gonna keep whatever I feel with me and my family, internally, on how I feel about that and just move on."
Watson appeared to be referencing the sexual misconduct allegations that had previously been levied against him. He was the subject of 27 lawsuits dating back to March 2021, all by women who accused him of sexual misconduct.
All 27 of the lawsuits have since been dismissed or settled, and Watson has maintained his innocence.
While Watson believes the booing isn't performance-related, he has struggled since being acquired by the Browns in a blockbuster trade with the Houston Texans and signing a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract. He has appeared in just 19 games across four seasons with the team, posting a 9-10 record and an 80.7 passer rating.
Still, Watson pointed toward his 2024 injury as proof the reaction surrounding him wouldn't change even if the team was winning.
"Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles. And that same fan base, they cheered when I got hurt," Watson said. "What does that have anything to do with performance? When a person gets hurt, especially for your own city, and they cheer?"
Watson then cast doubts on whether he could "defeat the negativity" he was receiving from Browns fans on social media and when asked about the topic.
"I don't know," he replied. "It's a mental battle every day. I feel like I get more love at road games than I do at home games."
Monken defended Watson when asked about the quarterback's comments in a Zoom call with reporters on Sunday, Aug. 23. He also said they wouldn't have an impact on his decision about Cleveland's starting quarterback.
"None of us like to be booed. We all like to be appreciated. I think that's just human," Monken told reporters over a Zoom call. "I think he emptied his heart a little bit. I don't think that says who he is. I see the competitor in him. I see the every day work he puts in. He wants to get back to where he was as best as he can. And that's hard. I think the moment just got him after the game, and it can get all of us."
One of Watson's first orders of business as Cleveland's starting quarterback was to apologize for his comments following Saturday's preseason game.
"My emotions got the best of me," Watson said. "I'm human. I take full responsibility of that, and just moving forward, I wanna make sure I put the best product for the team, for the organization and for the city so we can put a lot of wins and make sure that I celebrate and put Cleveland on the map."
"That's why I put the helmet on my head and I put the uniform on my body, is to go out there and put my best foot forward," he added. "That was one of the reasons why I chose this city."
Watson also explained that his frustration stemmed from his performance with the Browns not being up to par thus far as well as him missing time because of injury. He noted he thought we was "gonna get a little different response" from the Cleveland crowd but hopes he can win them over with his performance ahead of the Browns' home opener against the Carolina Panthers in Week 3.
"Moving forward, I just wanna make sure I can give the city something to think about in the first two games. And when we come back home, we have something to cheer about and celebrate and go do what we wanna do. And that's achieve the ultimate goal and go win and be a champion."
Watson being named the starter has officially determined the pecking order in Cleveland's quarterback room. Here's a look at the team's quarterback depth chart:
- Deshaun Watson
- Shedeur Sanders
- Dillon Gabriel
- Taylen Green
Now, the biggest remaining question within Cleveland's quarterback room is whether the team will keep four quarterbacks; and, if not, the discussion will be about whether the team will keep Gabriel or Green as the third-string quarterback.
Watson earned Cleveland's starting job after completing 16-of-27 passes (59.3%) for 162 yards in the preseason. He did not record a touchdown and was responsible for two turnovers – an interception and a fumble.
Watson was sacked just once and posted a passer rating of 61.
Sanders completed 15-of-22 passes (68.2%) for 153 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He posted a 65.2 passer rating and was only sacked once and did not lose yards on the play.
Sanders will now be Cleveland's backup with Watson set to be named the starter.
Watson is in the final season of a five-year, fully guaranteed contract he signed with the Browns after being acquired in a trade from the Houston Texans during the 2022 NFL offseason. Below are the full details of Watson's deal, per Spotrac.com.
- Term: 5 years
- Total value: $230 million
- Average annual value (AAV): $46 million
- Guaranteed money: $230 million
Watson is set to carry a cap hit of just under $41 million in the final year of his contract.
There are also four void years – an accounting mechanism used by NFL teams to defray the present-year cap hit of players – on Watson's contract. Because of that, Cleveland will eventually take an $86.2 million dead-cap hit in 2027 if they do not re-sign the veteran quarterback after this season.
Watson has a base salary of just $1.3 million in 2026, but he is set to make $46 million in cash thanks to his $44.7 million contract restructure bonus.
Watson has made $234.8 million across his career to date, most of which has come from his contract with the Browns.
By the end of the 2026 NFL season, the 30-year-old quarterback will have made $280.8 million across his 10 NFL seasons. That will be good for the 11th-most in league history.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Browns name Deshaun Watson starting QB for Week 1 of 2026 NFL season
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