Deshaun Watson’s long-term job security as the starting Browns QB over Shedeur Sanders still isn’t guaranteed.
Recently, the Cleveland Browns caused a stir when head coach Todd Monken revealed that Deshaun Watson will get the starting quarterback job over Shedeur Sanders to begin the new season. The announcement comes less than three weeks before the Browns are slated to kick off their 2026 season, one that is not exactly filled with high expectations.
Still, despite losing out on the starting job for now, that doesn’t mean Sanders won’t ever get a chance to get under center again, and recently, former NFL player and current ESPN analyst Jason McCourty broke down the opportunity that the former Colorado standout still has in front of him.
“If he doesn’t perform well in those first two games… I think it’s very possible that we see Shedeur Sanders in week 3… The leash is that short when it comes to Deshaun Watson,” said McCourty, per First Take on X, formerly Twitter.
Both Watson and Sanders have been up and down so far during their appearances at joint practices and in preseason games so far during training camp. Many have speculated that the much higher salary figure that the Browns have tied to Watson may have prompted ownership to pine for Monken to give him the starting role in order to save face.
Still, if Watson’s previous starts for the Browns were any indication, it might not be long before the team is looking elsewhere at quarterback, and if Sanders does indeed get another opportunity, it will be up to him to take full advantage and show Cleveland, and other teams around the league, for that matter, that he can be a starter at the NFL level.
Recently, the Cleveland Browns caused a stir when head coach Todd Monken revealed that Deshaun Watson will get the starting quarterback job over Shedeur Sanders to begin the new season. The announcement comes less than three weeks before the Browns are slated to kick off their 2026 season, one that is not exactly filled with high expectations.
