Deshaun Watson has won the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback competition and will start their 2026 season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Watson edged out Shedeur Sanders after the two split first-team reps throughout training camp and preseason. According to Jordan Schultz, the decision ultimately came down to Watson’s experience, although he will still have to prove himself once the regular season begins.
The decision arrives just days after Watson was booed by Browns fans during Cleveland’s preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills. He completed only 5 of 12 passes for 35 yards and an interception before calling the reception from the home crowd ‘disrespectful’.
Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty ImagesDeshaun Watson’s experience ultimately gives him the Browns QB1 jobWatson and Sanders had remained closely matched throughout the competition, with neither quarterback doing enough to completely separate himself.
Watson did have one advantage that ultimately mattered to Todd Monken. As Schultz reported, both quarterbacks showed flashes of what a QB1 could look like in Monken’s offence, but the Browns leaned towards Watson because of his experience.
That experience comes despite Watson missing the entire 2025 season while recovering from a twice-torn right Achilles tendon. He is now entering the final year of his five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract after starting just 19 games for Cleveland.
However, the Browns have not exactly handed Watson a free pass.
Cleveland opens the season with road games against Jacksonville on September 13 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2 before finally returning home in Week 3. That gives Watson two chances to establish himself before facing the Browns crowd again.
Sanders will remain ready behind him.
The rookie-turned-second-year quarterback showed plenty of promise during the preseason, particularly against Buffalo, where he opened strongly and completed his first eight passes before throwing an interception.
For Watson, then, the message is fairly simple. He has won the starting job, but his performances in Jacksonville and Tampa Bay could go a long way towards deciding whether he keeps it.
If he struggles, Sanders will be waiting.
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