Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson's Future as QB1 Addressed by NFL Insider After Browns Lose to Saints

Don't close the door on Shedeur Sanders starting again for the Cleveland Browns during the 2026 NFL season.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Monday the team is expected to return to Deshaun Watson as QB1 in Week 10 against the Houston Texans. That outcome aligned with an assessment of the situation by The MMQB's Albert Breer.

"I'm not sure Shedeur Sanders did enough to take Deshaun Watson's job on Sunday," Breer said. "But I think he played well enough that the Browns might want to see him play a couple of games by the end of the year. Especially since the Browns' first-rounders might not be high enough to get a premier quarterback, so they could be in another bridge scenario in 2027."

Sanders didn't perform badly enough to clearly merit a demotion. He went 19-of-31 for 297 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-22 overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints.

The second-year passer didn't play well enough to convince coach Todd Monken, either.

More than anything, the question worth asking is whether the Browns will be any closer to having a long-term plan at quarterback by the offseason if they stick with their current approach.

Watson is a free agent and has performed like a replacement-level QB so far. Through eight starts, he has 1,806 yards, seven touchdowns and three touchdowns along with a 91.2 passer rating and a 40.9 QBR.

Re-signing the three-time Pro Bowler would mean committing to another stopgap solution, one with a limited ceiling.

Sanders, meanwhile, didn't look great as a rookie and hasn't had much time to develop in Year 2. Whatever opinions you had about him coming into the 2024 draft are probably the same right now.

Rolling with Sanders in 2027 wouldn't inspire a ton of confidence on the basis of what he has shown so far.

The Browns will have a hard time selling their fans on a "bridge scenario" when that has been their strategy ever since trading Baker Mayfield in July 2022. They're on pace to have their fifth different leading passer at the end of the year.

Cleveland desperately needs some stability at quarterback or at the very least a blueprint that doesn't operate one year at a time. That may not be in the offing next spring.