The Cleveland Browns appeared to have finally turned the corner on quarterback Deshaun Watson in 2025.
The veteran who cost the Browns three No. 1 draft picks, $230 million in guaranteed money, and untold fan goodwill, spent the majority of the season sidelined while recovering from a twice-torn Achilles tendon. Outside of a few practices in the final weeks of the season, it was out of sight, out of mind.
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Once the calendar turned to 2026, all the Browns had to do was finish out the final year of the contract on a player that owner Jimmy Haslam described as a “big swing-and-miss” by keeping Watson on the sidelines, and then everyone could part company.
Only it is starting to seem like what was once unthinkable may become a reality as the Browns may find themselves in a position where Watson takes the field in Week 1 as the starting quarterback.
That is due in part to new head coach Todd Monken, who is willing to try anything to jumpstart the quarterback position, and the lack of other viable options on the roster, as Daniel Oyefusi and Jeremy Fowler highlighted in an ESPN article:
Dillon Gabriel, who helped the Browns to one win in six starts as a rookie, posted a QBR that would have ranked last in the league among qualified players.
Shedeur Sanders, who helped the Browns to three wins – no one will ever forget the epic six-point offensive explosion in the season finale – and posted a QBR that would have ranked him last in the league among qualified players.
Taylen Green, a rookie sixth-round selection, needs plenty of time to get up to speed.
When you look at the options, it is understandable why Monken would prefer a 30-year-old quarterback who has suffered two major injuries and, in the 19 games he has actually played, posted a total QBR that would rank him last among qualified passers.
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The good news, if there is such a thing in this situation, is that Monken is keeping an open mind and has a track record of bringing out the best in a variety of quarterbacks, as Albert Breer pointed out in his latest column at Sports Illustrated:
Monken’s bio can tell you that. He worked with David Garrard in Jacksonville, Brandon Weeden at Oklahoma State, Nick Mullens at Southern Miss, Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick in Tampa Bay, Baker Mayfield the first time around in Cleveland, Stetson Bennett IV at Georgia, and Lamar Jackson in Baltimore. That is a wide swath of QBs.
He can build an offense for whoever wins that job.
And, yes, I think the Browns would like to get one last long look at the quarterback they’re spending $230 million on and forked over three first-round picks for, now that Watson is back and healthy. Similarly, it’d make sense to have a full and thorough idea of who Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, and even Taylen Green are ahead of what could be a franchise-shifting offseason in 2027, with the team potentially lining up another big swing to get the quarterback position right once and for all next April.
The good news is I think Monken can get all of that done—and do it in a fair way, that’ll give each of the guys a fair shot, which should also send a good message to the rest of the team.
The Browns took a shot at Watson in 2022 because they had grown tired of Baker Mayfield and were desperate to do something.
But because the Browns are one of several NFL teams that continually miss on quarterbacks, they face the very real possibility that they will need to ride with Watson one last time in 2026, as he might be the best choice in a group where everyone is a bad option.
There is still a long way to go between now and the season opener in Jacksonville, so anything is still possible.
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But seeing Watson in the huddle on Cleveland’s first offensive series of the season may be the most “Browns is the Browns” moment in recent memory.
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