Browns' Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders fuel ongoing QB debate

Jul 23, 2026 - 23:10

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Browns' Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders fuel ongoing QB debate originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

It's that time of year when NFL analysts are looking at each team's likely roster and figuring out the pieces. For the Cleveland Browns, the biggest amount of attention, of course, is going to their quarterback competition between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders. There's literally no storyline in the Browns' camp that touches this one.

On Thursday, ESPN released its tally of 2026 NFL training camp previews for all 32 teams. It's no surprise that for the Browns, they focused on quarterback. It's the biggest question.

They dubbed the biggest storyline, "Who will start at quarterback?"

Cleveland Browns quarterback race remains the focus

"Todd Monken wanted to enter camp with a clear starter, but he was impressed with both Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders during the offseason workout program, so the competition continues," Daniel Oyefusi of the outlet notes.

He notes that Watson is healthy again after his two Achilles surgeries and "has experience as a nine-year veteran, although he has played in only 19 games since 2022 because of suspension and injuries, and he has struggled during those starts."

On the flipside, Sanders "has impressed coaches with his grasp of the offense in recent months." The 2025 fifth-round pick started in seven games as a rookie and did fairly well, although he didn't have anything that really jumped out as a franchise quarterback just yet. He could very well bloom, though.

So, both players have something going for them. Whoever gets the start and the responsibility of being the main quarterback this season will certainly have all eyes on him.