Predicting When Shedeur Sanders Should Start After Deshaun Watson Wins Browns' QB1 Job vs. Jaguars

The Cleveland Browns have their starting quarterback to open the 2026 NFL season. Whether it's the last change to their QB room remains to be seen.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday that Deshaun Watson is Cleveland's QB1 over Shedeur Sanders.

Given how Watson closed out the preseason, nobody will be shocked if he fails to hold onto the job for the entire year.

Should coach Todd Monken decide to elevate Sanders, Week 5 is a plausible window for that to happen.

The Browns play their biggest rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, in Week 4, and the game is on a Thursday night. The fan angst could reach a fever pitch if Cleveland suffers a tough loss, and the schedule would allow for Sanders to have a few extra days to get used to the starting role again.

It's hard to remember a Week 1 quarterback call that felt more doomed than this.

Watson wasn't convincing on the field during the Browns' first two preseason games. He went 16-of-27 for 162 yards and one interception, also losing one fumble.

His press conference after Saturday's 31-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills only turned more fans against the three-time Pro Bowler.

In Watson, the Browns have a QB who hasn't looked like a viable starter since 2020 and one who could get booed out of his home stadium whenever something goes wrong.

Granted it came with a different coaching staff, but Cleveland only waited four games before pulling the plug on Joe Flacco in 2025. Dillon Gabriel took over the offense by Week 5 last year, eventually giving way to Sanders.

The Browns' first encounter with the Steelers could present a perfect storm.

The team may be 0-3 heading into a nationally televised game. Fans in Northeast Ohio will already be growing restless as they prepare to watch a quarterback they clearly don't like on a very deep level. Imagine the atmosphere inside Huntington Bank Field if the Browns are down big in the second half and the offense is failing to move the ball.

Maybe Cleveland fares better than expected out of the gate. Nothing gets a fanbase on board more than winning.

The preseason didn't provide any evidence that's likely to happen, so those who thought Sanders should start ahead of Watson will probably get their wish sooner or later.