NFL teams will begin voluntary and eventually required practices leading up to the season. One of the more intriguing training camps, will be the Cleveland Browns trying to determine who will be QB1 to start the season. The team currently has four quarterbacks in the room, but the battle presumably comes down to Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson. Both quarterbacks have arguments to start, but there is a popular choice among Cleveland fans.
After the disastrous trade for Watson, the fanbase has looked for hope elsewhere. In 2025, Watson rehabbed the achilles injury he suffered in 2024. New head coach, Todd Monken, has told local media the competition is wide open with every quarterback getting the opportunity to prove themselves. In that competition comes a 30 year old Watson, who is in the final year of his mega contract looking to finally put it all together once and for all.
In Watson’s way will be two second year quarterbacks that showed flashes of solid play, but couldn’t do it on a weekly basis. For Dillon Gabriel, his selection never really made sense on draft night, and a year later he will be fighting for a roster spot. Mentioned previously, Sanders will headline the QB competition versus Watson. Lastly, the new addition to the QB room this year is Taylen Green, the elite athlete from Arkansas. Green looks to be a project for the Browns, but will be a interesting guy to watch develop.
This group is similar to what the Browns had in 2025. Four quarterbacks with four different skillsets all with the same goal of being the franchise guy in Cleveland.
As much as Cleveland fans don’t want to hear it, Watson will absolutely get his opportunity to be the starter in 2026. As bad as the tenure has gone, the Browns want to see if they can get any value for the final season he’s under contract. In terms of health, he looks to be near 100% with a full season of rehab behind him. For his play on the field, the bar is low for how he has looked in a Browns uniform.
Watson will be in a completely new offense with an entirely new coaching staff. If anybody could get Watson’s best, it would coach Monken. In Baltimore, Monken took Lamar Jackson’s game to the next level. What worked well was allowing Jackson to run the offense and give him flexibility in audibles and tailored routes. That could help Watson, who had a interesting relationship with Kevin Stefanski.
The Browns roster has also improved drastically. The receiving core is loaded with young playmakers and the offensive line is completely re-tooled. You could make the argument, this is the best supporting cast any Browns QB has had to work with in years.
Browns beat reporters Tony Grossi and Mary Kay Cabot have already put it out there they have been impressed with Watson in the early stages of camp. Both addressing the fact if the season started today, they think Watson would be the best choice.
While the competition is open, Watson will have to turn back the clocks to have any chance of winning this battle. In 19 career games with the Browns, Watson has put up 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. That simply won’t cut it for a team with younger more talented options waiting for their turn.
Ever since the Browns drafted Sanders, the city and fanbase has grown a love for the kid. In 2025, it wasn’t an easy path to start, but when he got his opportunity he never looked back. In the 7 games he started in the Browns went 3-4 and ended the season on a positive note.
Watching him play you see flashes of the elite prospect we all thought he was, and at times you see why he fell to round 5. The ultimate question is if he can play consistent enough without turning the ball over. The accuracy and pocket was really impressive throughout his rookie season. While the Browns supporting cast was one of the worst in the league, some of the turnovers were pretty head scratching. Sanders absolutely can win this competition and be in the conversation as the Browns next franchise quarterback, and the hope is coach Monken can get that out of him.
In only 7 starts last season there is not much to praise or critique. 2026 would be a great test to see what he can do with a whole new system and offense. From what we’ve seen from Sanders already is that the kid is a hard worker and genuinely good person. The Browns have caught a lot of heat in the previous years for the Watson trade, giving them a real chance to flip peoples emotions. While that doesn’t pertain to football, it sells tickets and puts the Browns back in the spotlight.
Sanders will have to prove it this summer by dominating camp and building off his impressive rookie campaign, but don’t be surprised when he’s the week 1 starting QB.
With the Browns, you can never rule anything out. Gabriel was pretty underwhelming in his limited action last year essentially proving all the size concerns right. The “high football IQ” resulted in a plethora of turnovers and screen plays. When asked to go deep, the throws just weren’t on target. Gabriel had an impressive college career with many thinking he could be an NFL backup for years. As it stands now, Gabriel would have to blow away the coaches to have a real shot at starting.
Many insiders even project Gabriel to be cut or traded before the start of the regular season ending his tenure in Cleveland. At times, you could see him operating the offense efficiently, but with his size and arm talent, there just isn’t a role for him moving forward.
The complete opposite of Gabriel, is the player the Browns drafted a couple weeks ago. Green is a 6’6 225 pound freak of nature athlete. His traits of a quarterback need much improvement, but the athletic traits make him a intriguing talent to keep as a project. 2026 won’t be a real productive year for Green, rather a season to sit back and learn.
Both Gabriel and Green will most likely be outliers in this quarterback competition, but will compete for the final spot as the QB3 heading into the regular season.
While it’s only May and a lot could change, the quarterback competition has been a known commodity for months. Will Watson finally put it together and look like the player the Browns mortgaged their future for, or will Sanders continue as the starter and prove to be the franchise guy. Coach Monken said he will know pretty early on who his starter is, and will make it known amongst the football world.
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