Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson spoke on how he has been able to stay locked in amid his QB battle.
The Cleveland Browns have yet to name a starting quarterback for the upcoming 2026 NFL season under first-year head coach Todd Monken. However, at the current juncture, Deshaun Watson seems to have the edge over rising second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders for the starting job as training camp winds down.
Recently, Watson kept it 100 percent real on how he is staying focused on the task at hand amid the turbulence that has surrounded his career over the last few years.
“The biggest thing I’m proud of is just my mental, just being able to block out the noise, being able to just keep smiling through everything, and being able to control my own narrative regardless,” he said, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com on X, formerly Twitter. “…That’s a blessing for myself and that’s why I’m proud.”
Watson has faced dozens of accusations of sexual assault, settling the majority of them out of court and serving a lengthy suspension from the NFL as a result. On the field, Watson’s play seemed to have fallen off significantly from his days with the Houston Texans before he went down with a torn Achilles two years ago, which caused him to miss the entirety of the 2025 season.
In his absence, Sanders ended up getting the starting job for the Browns by the end of the season and had mixed results, at times flashing the talent that led him to become a standout at the college level, but also making many mistakes characteristic of a rookie being thrown into the NFL fire.
Monken still has a few weeks to make his final decision before the Browns kick off their season on September 13 vs the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Cleveland Browns have yet to name a starting quarterback for the upcoming 2026 NFL season under first-year head coach Todd Monken. However, at the current juncture, Deshaun Watson seems to have the edge over rising second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders for the starting job as training camp winds down.
