Deshaun Watson ‘takes pole position’ in QB battle as Browns begged not to abandon Shedeur Sanders

An early front runner has emerged in the Cleveland Browns quarterback battle.

Despite being labeled the worst trade in NFL history, being branded a ‘swing and a miss’ by team owner Jimmy Haslam, and missing the entire 2025 season through injuiry, Deshaun Watson is said to be in ‘pole position’ to start in Week 1.

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NFL insider Mike Garafolo provided the update last week, which comes as a blow to Shedeur Sanders, who also had hopes of taking the role.

Front runner for Browns starting QB role revealed

“Does Deshaun Watson have a chance to be the Browns’ starter in 2026? Ah, yes he does,” Garafolo said, during Thursday’s episode of Good Morning Football on NFL Network.

“And in my opinion, he’s got a great shot. In fact, at this point, if Deshaun Watson is the starter Week 1 for the Cleveland Browns, this guy right here is not going to be surprised.

“Now, there will probably be some kind of open competition that they’ll have throughout the summer. The Browns have done that before.

“They had one last year — a four-way competition last year in training camp for the Browns, so I would expect that to be the way that it goes.

“But you’re paying (Watson) anyway. He’s on the roster. He was previously an accomplished quarterback. There’s been a lot that’s happened off the field. I understand that.

“But to me, Deshaun Watson might even be in the pole position at this point to be the Browns’ starter for this upcoming season.”

The Browns, it seems, will turn back to their $230 million quarterback, who is now 30-years-old and has not seen regular-season action since October 2024.

Suggestion of a Watson return won’t exactly excite fans, who watched their team go 5-12 in another disappointing campaign last time around, amid uncertainty under center.

And some, in fact, believe Sanders should be named the starting signal caller instead.

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Following Garafolo’s update, ESPN Cleveland’s Chris Oldach and Nick Paulus broke down the far from ideal quarterback situation that’s set to unfold again this summer.

Starting Shedeur Sanders in 2026 is ‘win-win’ for struggling Browns

“I’d much rather just let Shedeur get the necessary reps, see what you have,” Oldach began.

“Oh, by the way, if you’re talking about the 2027 QB class being all that, don’t you need to figure out what’s on your roster?”

Paulus then jumped in, and argued that starting Sanders is a ‘win-win’ situation.

He explained: “This is a win-win for the Browns, if you start Shedeur.

“You either find out if Shedeur is the guy, and you build around him, and all these draft picks could work out. That’s great, that’s dandy.

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“Or, he falls flat on his face, and you lose a bunch of games. And then guess what? You’re picking at the top of the draft next year.

“To me, it’s a win-win.”

In the eyes of Oldach and Paulus, Sanders can either be the franchise guy, or he could play so badly that he ends up paving the way for Cleveland’s real No. 1 quarterback come 2027.

Either of those options would likely be more appealing to fans, over worrying about whether or not Watson’s body can hold up week-to-week, as he makes his injury comeback.

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