Quarterback concerns create a whirlwind of issues for NFL front offices. Recently, the Pittsburgh Steelers endured a fair share of bruises due to issues under center. But luckily, this year the shoe is on the other foot. Mike McCarthy’s unit can breathe a little while watching the Cleveland Browns attempt to make sense of a questionable but talented depth chart.
Earlier this week, the AFC North rivals named Deshaun Watson as their starting QB for Week 1 of the regular season. It’s a reasonable decision, but I don’t believe it will last long.
It’s been more than 670 days since the former Clemson standout took a snap in a regular-season game. The missing-from-action wasn’t by choice. In 2024, Watson ruptured his right Achilles in Week 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals. It was an absolute gut punch for a franchise that emptied its pockets for a competent gunslinger. The injury did more than end Watson’s season.
It also made the five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract Watson signed with Cleveland look more like the biggest mistake in NFL history.
Especially when the Browns heard that Watson re-ruptured his Achilles during rehabilitation before the 2025 season. The setback left Pittsburgh’s AFC North rival without a gunslinger for a second consecutive season. Not only were they still paying Watson top dollar, but now they had nothing to show for it.
Instead of waiting for his return, Andrew Berry acted quickly. He selected Shedeur Sanders with the No.144 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The swift action added depth to a questionable QB room. It also fueled a quarterback battle the franchise was unprepared for.
Cleveland’s insurance blanket maneuver worked out better than expected. With Watson sidelined, they turned to Sanders in Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens. A week later, the NFL protege made his first career start against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Sanders finished the season with a 3-4 record as a starter. He improved throughout the tail end of the campaign, earning wins against the Steelers and Bengals to close out the season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will expose the Browns' QB decision if they don't fix it before Week 4
A strong showing from a young but motivated gunslinger wasn’t enough to help Sanders win over Cleveland’s QB1 opening. And when Todd Monken became the Browns' new head coach, it was as if Sanders fell to level zero. A string of gusty preseason performances wasn't enough to confirm the former Colorado quarterback was on the rise.
But it felt like Cleveland already knew who the starter for the upcoming season would be a while ago.
And honestly, can you blame them?
An egregious contract agreement sealed Cleveland’s fate before Shedeur Sanders could make a lasting argument. Sure, the franchise invested in a young gunslinger committed to developing. But that couldn’t prioritize getting the most bang for all $230 million spent on a quarterback who hasn’t lived up to his end of the deal.
Even if the second-year standout outplayed his veteran peer thus far.
Throughout two preseason games, Shedeur Sanders has been the more efficient passer between the two men under center. He’s earned a better completion percentage (68.2%) than Watson’s (59.3%) and also completed more touchdown passes (1). Both quarterbacks have turned the football over, but when it comes to better performance, Shedeur stands out in my book.
So why wasn’t he named the starter?
Cleveland may insist this is purely a football decision, but the economics are impossible to ignore. They want an immediate return from Deshaun Watson. Since 2022, he’s only played 19 games with the franchise. That’s only 27.9% of Cleveland’s 68 games within that span. Injuries have kept the former Pro Bowler off the field. So now that he’s healthy, the Browns front office owes it to themselves to see what Watson brings to the table.
Even if it’s for a few games.
I don’t expect Watson to remain the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns forever. In fact, the Pittsburgh Steelers will see the AFC North rivals in Week 4 of the regular season. By then, I expect the experiment to be over. Sure, Deshaun Watson was viewed as a highly talented QB before. But that was before two aggravated Achilles injuries and 600-plus days of no action on Sundays.
The Browns must squeeze the most out of their $230 million investment. And when the well runs dry and Watson underperforms, at least the franchise can turn to Shedeur Sanders.
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