The Cleveland Browns have a quarterback battle on their hands, and the only conclusion we can come to so far is that it's entirely confounding. Cleveland added Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco. They drafted Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Deshaun Watson is injured for what could be all of next season, and is among the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL.
Sanders signed a four-year rookie contract on Monday. It doesn't guarantee him much but a chance, and Sanders looks quite good in rookie camp. The issues which reportedly plagued him and spurred his downfall to Day 3 suddenly vanished. It's funny how that works. Sanders outperformed fellow rookie Gabriel per most reports, even though the Oregon product was selected several rounds ahead of him.
Pickett – assuming he stays healthy – seems like the favorite to take over the starting gig. He has starting experience and hasn't performed all that poorly when he's gotten a chance. It didn't work out in Pittsburgh, sure, but the Browns have lesser expectations this season.
Deshaun Watson's message to Browns won't mean much
As for Watson, it's unclear what the year off means for him. The Browns don't have an easy way out of his deal, and the player himself has underperformed. He's going to miss most if not all of the 2025-26 season. Still, that didn't stop Deshaun from posting a workout photo of himself throwing again. Watson is already working out again, but that doesn't mean he'll return next season. If anything, Watson is merely doing this to remind Browns fans he exists.
For Browns fans, this only ends one way, and it involves the Haslam family finding a way out of Watson's contract as soon as possible, or paying Deshaun whatever it takes to make him go away. The answer to the latter question is a lot of money, but it's for the best if Cleveland can clear its conscience.
Sanders may not be the second coming of Bernie Kosar, but he offers a fresh start. The Browns approach of selecting multiple quarterbacks in the same draft class was a bold one, but late-round picks are essentially lottery picks. Cleveland had little to lose by taking a player they deem underrated in Gabriel, and then backing that up by selecting a flyer in Sanders. Let the best man win, and so far it is Shedeur.
Watson's message, albeit a quiet one, will not change the Browns approach. They have little to gain by keeping the door open for Deshaun, and a whole lot more to lose.