For those living under a rock for the past five years, the Cleveland Browns' quarterback situation is a mess. The beleaguered NFL franchise took two quarterbacks, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, in last year's draft, and there's still a fat question mark at the position entering the 2026 season. The Browns have narrowed it down to Sanders and Deshaun Watson, who started Cleveland's preseason opener against the Chicago Bears last weekend.
Sanders will start Week 2 of the preseason against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday. At least externally, he's not fazed by the pressure of winning the starting job. "I'll say every day of my life's important," Sanders said, per ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi.
I want to say it's [not] a day that's not important. So that's just another day going out there doing what I got to do, honestly. I don't really feel anxiety or any pressure going into things like that anymore, because that's how I approach everything.
So, it's just another day of going to work. That's all it is for me." Theoretically, Sanders should have the upper hand, even if he wasn't an instant success in his starts as a rookie down the stretch last season. He posted 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions on 56.6% completion — producing flash plays and stinker plays in equal measure.
But Sanders is 24 years old, a former college star, with the upside of not being a finished NFL product. Watson, meanwhile, has not played an NFL regular-season down since October 2024, when he tore his Achilles. He tore his Achilles again in January 2025.
The 30-year-old former star only started 19 games for the Browns across 2022 and 2024, and he played mostly uninspired football. But Watson also received a five-year, $230 million, fully guaranteed contract after the Browns acquired him from the Houston Texans in March 2022. Money talks, and it might force newly hired head coach Todd Monken to start the season with Watson.
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