Watson or Sanders: Browns' QB Battle in 2026

0:00On March 31st, Cleveland Brown's owner Jimmy Haslam dropped the hint this week that Dishon Watson could reclaim the starting quarterback spot in 20. 26. Watson missed all of last season with a torn Achilles, but Haslam sees potential there. His biggest rival, Shadour Sanders, the fifth round pick from 2025 who took over the final seven games, finishing three wins and four losses. Flashback to 2022, when the Brown swung big, trading for Watson from Houston and handing him a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract. That came after he sat out the whole 2021 season facing sexual harassment claims for more than 20 women. Most cases settled quietly, leading to an 11-game suspension to start his Cleveland run. Watson's time here has been rough. 19 starts from 2022 to 2024. Nine wins against 10 losses with 61.2 percent completions. Just over 3,300 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 12 picks.

1:03That's nowhere near his Houston days as a three-time pro-bola where he lit it up with over 14,000 yards and 104 touchdowns. Last year at the league meetings, Haslam admitted it was a big swing and a miss. Sanders stepped in last season and got three of the team's five wins, but his numbers were shaky, 56.6 percent completions for one. 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, 10 picks, plus a bit of rushing. Cleveland needs clean, steady play from the position to compete. With Watson rebounding from injury and Sanders pushing hard, the 2026 job is wide open. But looking ahead, the Browns might reset everything in the 2027 draft for their next long-term answer at quarterback.