League sources say first-year Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken sees promise in second-year quarterback Shaddell Sanders. But Sanders won’t get the starting quarterback job. Some sources with knowledge of Brown family conversations doubted he would beat out internal options.
These questions don’t stem primarily from the uncertainty surrounding Sanders, who general manager Andrew Berry said at the combine “grew a lot from the first round to the seventh round.” Rather, they stem from a growing undercurrent of belief that Deshaun Watson can make a significant push as the Browns’ starter in 2026.
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The Browns opened a 21-day training window for Watson in December after he missed all early-season team practices while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon in 2024. Of course, returning to practice requires nowhere near as much agility and command as playing on the field, but Watson’s performance there raised the eyebrows of some in the building.
Watson is guaranteed $46 million this season whether he plays or not, giving the Browns incentive to keep him on the roster. Combined with the fact that the 2027 quarterback draft class is much better than the 2026 quarterback class, the Browns have reason to avoid expensive quarterbacks this offseason.
Monken described the position as an “open competition,” praising Sanders’ “elite playmaking ability” while also saying that, like most players after their rookie seasons, the 2024 fifth-round pick still has “a long road to go.”
“Why not have an open competition?” Monken said at the combine. “I don’t mean that to be harsh, but I don’t think there’s enough in the film over the past few years that, anyway, can be said to be, ‘Boy, our starting quarterback hasn’t emerged yet.'” Whether that’s internally or externally. “
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League talent evaluators say the open competition could favor Watson, whose athletic and processing ceiling exceeds that of Sanders. Watson has suffered serious injuries and been suspended over sexual assault and misconduct allegations in recent years. Watson last played a full season in 2020, when he led the league with 4,823 passing yards. He played six games each in 2022 and 2023, followed by seven games in 2025. That should be a real concern — but the parts of the game that are most likely to challenge him after a long break won’t come until the regular season. Monken said the Browns hope to make a decision before then.
“You want when you get to training camp, the reps you give your quarterback are your starters,” Monken said. “I don’t know if we’re going to get there. That’s going to be determined in the offseason as part of that. It’s just another part of the story.”
