New Browns Rumors on Shedeur Sanders vs. Deshaun Watson QB1 Battle Ahead of NFL OTAs

The battle between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders for the starting quarterback role will be the biggest storyline of the Cleveland Browns' offseason, and the veteran reportedly appears to have the edge heading into OTAs.

"[Deshaun Watson] will be a factor in OTAs when they start going with first-team reps, second-team reps," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Sunday on SportsCenter. "So, he's been a factor already on the practice field. I'm told he's hit it off with Todd Monken, who's got an offensive concept, some elements that Watson has run in the past and been his best at; a little bit of a departure from what they were running with Kevin Stefanski. 

"So, talking to people around the league, they believe that Watson could eventually earn this job because he's a veteran presence and if he can get back to just 70 or 80 percent of what he was from those Houston days, maybe they can sort of salvage this trade; get one productive year out of him."

Watson was a three-time Pro Bowler for the Houston Texans but has played just 19 games due to a combination of suspension and injuries since Cleveland traded for him ahead of the 2022 campaign. 

Considering the Browns gave up significant draft capital and then gave him a five-year, fully guaranteed $230 million deal, it would be a massive understatement to say things haven't worked out as planned with one year remaining on his contract.

Still, Fowler's report suggests Watson will have one more opportunity to make an impact under center for the Browns.

If he can rediscover the form he showed when he led the NFL with 4,823 passing yards in 2020 for the Texans, perhaps he can help the Browns compete for their first playoff spot since the 2023 campaign.

If not, Sanders figures to have an opportunity to build on his inconsistent rookie season.

The Colorado product went 3-4 as a starter, which was solid considering Cleveland was 2-8 in its other 10 games. However, he also had a QBR of just 18.9 with seven touchdown passes to 10 interceptions.

Sanders didn't play well enough to lock in his spot as a starter heading into the 2026 season, and Watson seems to have momentum with much of the offseason still remaining.