Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders pretty much fought to be their QB1 to end his rookie campaign. Just months later, he’s starting at square one as the team tries to solve its forever QB room dilemma. What’s worse is that a veteran is, once again, gaining an edge in the race.

Last season, Sanders entered Cleveland as the third string behind veteran Joe Flacco and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel. Both of them, unable to make an impact, paved the way for the Colorado product. But he is already against another veteran.

NFL Network’s lead draft analyst, Daniel Jeremiah, believes that Deshaun Watson is “the frontrunner to the Browns starting QB” in 2026. When the Browns traded for Deshaun Watson in 2022 and handed him a fully guaranteed $230 million contract, he was considered the team’s answer to its most unstable position. Instead, the decision has been the biggest mistake for them so far.

He tore his right Achilles tendon in October 2024 and then underwent a second surgery in January 2025 after retearing it. That effectively put him out of the QB conversation. However, last year, he was seen practicing again when the Browns opened his practice window on December 3. He conducted individual drills and ran the scout team offense. But when it came to switching Sanders for Watson, the then-head coach, Kevin Stefanski, refused to take him off the PUP list to keep Sanders on QB1.

What was interesting was how Sanders kicked off his NFL journey.

Throughout the time until he finally made his NFL debut in Week 11, Sanders did not get a single practice rep with the first team. Instead, Flacco received most of it, and Gabriel, who was in line to be the eventual starter, was given the rest. But with Flacco traded just after four games and the Oregon alum going into concussion protocol, Sanders became the team’s QB1. Right then, he told the Browns fans, he is what they’ve been searching for.

It certainly felt like it.

In his debut against divisional rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, Sanders only completed 4 of 16 passes. But where he shone was in making the right decisions under pressure, in long-distance throws, and using his legs to move the chains. The two aspects contrast with Gabriel’s playing style and gave the Dawg Pound something to look forward to.

The Browns, in Sanders’ first official start, won 24-10 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Sure, it was their defense working against one of the worst offenses, but the win went in Sanders’ column. The team continued to lose until the quarterback put up wins in the final two games of the regular season against teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Again, the defense did the most work, but it meant something as he won more games than any of the other QBs that started for the Browns in 2025. None of his performances confirmed a QB1 position for him, and he knew it. But he’s back fighting for his position with Watson in the picture. We can see why the Browns would rather bet on him.

Watson is entering the final year of his huge contract. But the Browns are unlikely to cut him, as it would count for an absurd $131 million in dead cap. They also cannot trade him, considering the number of quarterbacks available in free agency and Watson’s recent injury concerns.

The only way for Cleveland to move ahead is by either allowing him to compete against Sanders to win the QB1, and try his hand at winning for the team. Or, eventually lose that competition and retire.

The Browns also have the second-year Gabriel in the QB room and a possibility to look to add depth to the position in the NFL Draft with players like Ty Simpson. However, at this point, Gabriel is unlikely to be a long-term plan for the Browns. New head coach, Todd Monken, has already made it very clear that no one is given the starting position; it has to be earned.

Monken follows Stefanski’s path to deciding QB1

The Browns fans definitely want to see Sanders suit up once again for them. This time, with enough practice and experience on his side. But Monken believes they should all be given a fair opportunity to prove their hunger, something that Stefanski, too, tried.

“I don’t know why it wouldn’t be an open competition,” Monken said. “I don’t mean that harshly, but I don’t think there’s enough on film over the last couple years one way or the other to say, ‘Boy, we have our starter at quarterback yet, whether internally or externally.’”

The criteria have certainly become a talking point among the experts because why would you repeat what the previous coach did and failed at? If anything, Sanders has proven that, given time and practice, he could be the solution for the team in the long run. Monken believes in him, too.

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“What I see in Shedeur is elite playmaking ability. It’s in him,” Monken said via Zac Jackson of The Athletic.

Sanders played in eight games, starting seven of them. He finished his rookie season with a 3-4 record while amassing 1,400 passing yards and seven touchdowns. He also got a Pro Bowl nod in his rookie campaign, even though it was considered a controversial decision. But he did get in because others took their names off the spot. Nevertheless, the Browns fans happen to love him over any other option.

At the same time, Watson brings years of veteran experience to the rather young QB room. Whether he can return to his early form remains to be seen. If not, Stephen A. Smith has given him an idea about what his next step should be.

Stephen A. Smith’s bold take on the Browns quarterback situation

As the Cleveland Browns head toward the 2026 season with an open quarterback competition, Deshaun Watson is under intense scrutiny. And not everyone is being patient about it. Sports analyst Stephen A. Smith didn’t hold back.

“My God, how awful can you be? There’s nowhere to go but up,” Smith said on a segment on ESPN’s First Take. “Let me look on national TV and tell Deshaun Watson this: considering the situation, combined with the money you still owe if you can’t win the starting job in Cleveland this year, you need to retire.”

Smith didn’t just criticize Watson without context. He brought up the numbers to explain where his frustration is coming from.

In 19 starts with a 9-10 record for the Browns, he had 61% completion, 19 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and an 80 passer rating. Moreover, among at least 50 quarterbacks with at least 500 pass attempts since 2022, he was 42nd in completions, 48th in pass yards per attempts 42nd in passer rating, and the second-worst sack rate behind only Justin Fields.

Cleveland’s decision is a classic NFL dilemma: banking on the massive financial investment in a veteran like Watson or pivoting to the youth and promise of Sanders. With Watson’s contract and potential retirement whispers adding layers of complexity, this QB battle will define the Browns’ immediate future.