Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson QB Battle Updated by Browns Insider Amid NFL Rumors

There is some belief that Shedeur Sanders could enter training camp in the pole position to win the starting quarterback job for the Cleveland Browns.

The Athletic's Zac Jackson wrote on Friday that he feels "stronger than ever" that Sanders is the favorite to be the No. 1 quarterback over Deshaun Watson.

Jackson's rationale is that Sanders is younger, has three years remaining on his rookie contract and giving him "every chance to win the job and make real progress is clearly the best option right now" even if the organization isn't necessarily planning on him being the long-term solution.

Browns owner Jimmy Haslam told reporters from the NFL meetings on Monday that Watson has a "great chance" to compete for the starting job with a new coaching staff taking over.

New head coach Todd Monken has said he isn't watching much of Watson's past film in part because it's hard to glean any relevant information for what he can do now at this point in his career.

There's not really a good football reason to enter the offseason program with Watson in position to win the starting role. He is coming a torn Achilles that was originally injured in October 2024 and reinjured two months later, keeping him out for all of 2025.

Neither quarterback was particularly good the last time they played in games. Sanders didn't have enough attempts to qualify for the leaderboard, but his 18.9 QBR would have been more than 14 points lower than the worst qualified starter (Cam Ward: 33.2).

Watson, who also didn't enough attempts to qualify in 2024, had a QBR of 21.0 that would have ranked last among all quarterbacks. He has appeared in just 19 games over four seasons with the Browns, throwing for 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Jackson noted that Sanders felt he didn't get a "fair shake" last offseason to showcase his talents and prepare for the regular season.

With the Browns having a new head coach and offensive system in place, Sanders might be in a better position to prove he can be a starter in the NFL in 2026 and beyond.

We could find out where things stand for Sanders very soon, as the Browns will hold voluntary minicamp from April 21-23 leading into OTAs starting on May 19.