Sheduer Sanders will be the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback against the Buffalo Bills in the second preseason game. The Browns lost their preseason opener 34-10 to the Chicago Bears. Deshaun Watson was Browns’ starting quarterback against the Bears whereas Sanders played in the second half. It will be the other way round against the Bills, with Sanders starting and Watson expected to play in the second half.
Neither Watson nor Sanders was the Browns’ starting QB to open the 2025 NFL Season. It was Joe Flacco, who started the season for the Browns before being traded to the Cincinnati Bengals. Dillon Gabriel took over as the starter after Flacco’s departure, while Sanders also became a starter later in the season. Sanders started seven games, while Gabriel started six and Flacco started four.
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A lack of consistent quarterback play was one of the biggest issues for the Browns last season. While Watson and Shedeur continue to fight for the starting role in 2026, ESPN analyst Mina Kimes believes that the Browns will only get, at best, average quarterback play from the duo.
Kimes, during a Monday episode of NFL Live, said, “I felt like with Deshaun Watson, the operation looked cleaner – not willing to push the ball down the field. With Shedeur, he was willing to push the ball down the field early on – the operation was flawed. And the net result is I don’t really think you’re gonna get top end, average quarterback play from either over the course of the season. Kimes further made a bold declaration at the end of the segment, saying, “They really are a quarterback away.”
Kimes clarified her bold statement in a post on Wednesday. She wrote, “To be clear, I don’t mean they’re a QB away from immediate contention. But I do think they’ve already rebuilt the skill group in impressive fashion.”
While the Browns quarterback situation is a big concern for them, it is not the only one. The team also has questions surrounding its pass-rush depth, roster inexperience, and depth at tight end and in the secondary. But the biggest question that Todd Monken faces right now is who starts for the Browns between Sanders and Watson to open the 2026 NFL season, as the competition continues to be wide open.
