The Cleveland Browns held a competition for their starting quarterback position through the preseason between the lesser of the underwhelming choices: veteran Deshaun Watson — in the final year of a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract — and second-year QB Shedeur Sanders.
After two preseason games, the Browns have arrived at their starting QB.
On Monday, the Browns named Deshaun Watson the team’s starting quarterback to begin the 2026 regular season over Sanders, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Watson will start the Browns' opening game vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1 on the road.
Below, we’ll dive into how the Browns named their starting QB for Week 1, what Watson brings to the table, and what it means for Shedeur Sanders' 2026 season.
Make Picks on Browns QB Deshaun Watson for Week 1
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Deshaun Watson Named Browns Starting QB for Week 1
Through the offseason, Browns head coach Todd Monken reiterated that there would be an open quarterback competition between Watson and Sanders, but Watson was the favorite to win the job for most of the offseason, according to prediction markets.
In his last stint as the starter in 2024, Watson started 7 games, completed 63.4% of his passes, did not pass for over 200 yards in any single game, and went 1-6 across those starts.
Watson missed the entire 2025 season with a ruptured Achilles tendon, and returned for the first time this preseason to boos from Cleveland fans, due to his poor performance.
"I think the whole world knows it has nothing to do about the performance," Watson said following Saturday’s preseason game. "It's a little bit [more] personal than that. So I think it's a disrespectful thing. So yeah, I mean, I'm going to keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally on how I feel about that. And yeah, just move on."
The battle for the 2026 starting QB job unfolded during training camp, and both quarterbacks also played in Cleveland’s opening two preseason games.
Watson started the team’s first preseason game vs. the Chicago Bears, while Sanders drew the start vs. the Buffalo Bills on Saturday. Both quarterbacks also came in to relieve the other in the game they didn't start.
During the 2026 preseason, Watson completed 16-of-27 passes for 162 yards and an INT. The veteran signal caller had a solid showing against the Bears, going 11-of-15 for 126 yards with a sack.
However, Watson struggled on Saturday, completing just 5-of-12 passes for 36 yards, also throwing an INT.
Meanwhile, Sanders was 15-of-22 passing for 153 yards with 2 INTs in his two preseason outings.
The former Colorado star completed 6-of-11 passes for 79 yards and was picked off once in the team’s preseason opener. Sanders followed that performance up by completing 9-of-11 passes for 74 yards with an INT and a sack.
In 2025, Sanders started the final seven games of the season after fellow QB Dillion Gabriel suffered a concussion in Week 11. The 2025 fifth-round pick completed 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards to go along with 7 TDs and 10 INTs.
Sanders registered only one multi-TD performance during that span, in a 31-29 loss to the Tennessee Titans, when he threw 3 TDs.
According to PlayerProfiler, Sanders' 175.0 passing yards per contest ranked 35th among qualifying QBs. Sanders also only registered 1,525 air yards a season ago, coming in at 35th as well.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson Week 1 Projections, Picks
On PrizePicks, you can pick More or Less on Deshaun Watson's Week 1 stats vs. the Jaguars to win real money if you're right.
As we near Week 1, Watson's projections are now live on the board; all available projections are below.
- 184.5 Pass Yards
- 0.5 Pass TDs (Goblin)
- 0.5 Player TDs (Demon) – Rush, Receiving, etc.
- 30.5 Yards Longest Completion
Make your Browns Week 1 picks on PrizePicks now!
Browns 2026 Win Totals, Payouts
The Browns are coming off a 5-12 season in 2025 and missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Cleveland has recorded 7 or fewer wins in three of its last four seasons but did make the playoffs in 2023 under then-head coach Kevin Stefanski.
On PrizePicks, you can pick More or Less on the Browns’ season win total to win real money if you're right.
Make 2026 NFL Predictions on PrizePicks
The Browns’ coaching staff has seen all they need to see, as the team named Deshaun Watson as the starting quarterback for the regular season. How will Watson fare when the Browns take on the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road in Week 1?
The NFL regular season begins on September 9, and users can make NFL predictions for the upcoming 2026 season, such as the Super Bowl winner, divisional winners, and win totals, on PrizePicks Team Picks—available in 36 states!
Stay locked in on Playbook for daily NFL news as the 2026 regular season approaches.
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