3 Reasons Browns May be Forced to Start Deshaun Watson Week 1

The Cleveland Browns remain in a quarterback battle that feels never-ending. Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders have been competing for months, with no one named the winner as August rolls along.

It's clear at this point that neither of the two have done anything to seize the job.

Yet this reality leads to several reasons why the job may ultimately go to Watson.

1. Tie goes to the veteran Watson

Todd Monken is a first-time head coach and wants to win. He knows he could be one-and-done if the team struggles and if he feels there is no clear winner in the competition, Watson does have the track record of someone with prior NFL success.

Browns fans would argue his success was a lifetime ago in Houston. That still does give him more of a resume than Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, who struggled in 2025 as rookies.

#Browns Deshaun Watson’s 9th pick in 12 practices: pic.twitter.com/dJ3kK793Qf
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) August 11, 2026

Watson winning by default would be a frustrating outcome for all involved. It may also point toward another one of the reasons why the Browns have to start him Week 1.

2. Would Watson stick around if named the backup?

Watson is taking home $46 million in cash this year on the final season of his $230 million contract. Naming him the backup to start the year may have him and his agent asking for an immediate trade, or to be sent home to prepare for 2027.

The veteran needs to start and play well this season to have a shot at a decent contract in 2027 and beyond. If he is named the backup, he could argue the Browns were a terrible destination for him and ask to be sent home. Doing so would prevent him from putting any play on tape in 2026, using his past hype for next offseason.

Thus, the Browns may need to at least have Watson start the season to avoid blowing up the quarterback room right before the season begins.

3. The money of it all

Jimmy Haslam is a wealthy billionaire who can afford to waste $230 million from time to time. Yet it does make some sense to start Watson, at least to begin the season, because he is making $46 million this year. He is finally healthy and the team may just want to see what they have and try to extract any value out of him.

That could mean starting him, hoping he plays well, and trading him during the season to fully move on and start anew in 2027.

Sanders was a fifth-round pick, so starting him Week 1, especially if he can't separate himself in the competition, is much different than benching Watson and potentially having him demand to be out for the full season.

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