The Cleveland Browns may have unintentionally revealed their quarterback plan for the 2026 season, and it's not great news for Shedeur Sanders. The young quarterback finished his rookie season as the Browns’ starter and he's hoping to retain the role next season.
During the annual league meeting on Monday, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam made headlines for his public endorsement of veteran quarterback Deshaun Watson. He projected that the three-time Pro Bowler is at an advantage of getting the starting job under Todd Monken
“Deshaun has a great chance, fresh start, offensive-minded coach, who has in his past been able to work with all kinds of different quarterbacks and make them successful," Haslam said. "So, Deshaun has a great chance to do that now.
“We talked to him the other day, he said he weighs the [least] he has in several years. He's in great shape, he'll be [in Cleveland] on April 7 when we start [the offseason workout program]. Let's see what Deshaun can do. We're all excited.”
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This marks a swift change of tune regarding Watson for Haslam. After the quarterback’s season-ending Achilles tear, the owner tagged him a “big-swing-and-miss” a year ago. However, he now sees a future with him leading the offense next season despite Sanders’ presence.
Shedeur Sanders started the 2025 NFL season as a third-string option under Kevin Stefanski before climbing his way up to the starting role. However, it seems he will once again be starting his second season in the league on the bench after Jimmy Haslam’s disclosure.
Aside from Watson and Sanders, Dillon Gabriel is the other quarterback under contract with the Browns heading into next season. However, he's currently believed to be behind the two in the current projection. Most of the fans and media attention in the starting job battle continues to be centered around Sanders.
