Browns Preseason Opener Proved Obvious Answer to Quarterback Situation

The preseason opener is in the books for the Cleveland Browns, who suffered a 24-point loss against the Chicago Bears.

Despite the defeat, head coach Todd Monken said it was fun to see his team out there and sounded impressed with Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders, who both turned the football over as did Dillon Gabriel, who played the fourth quarter.

It could be a long season for the Browns, who certainly don’t appear to have a long-term answer at quarterback. And they likely know that. The 2027 draft class is expected to be loaded with QB talent. The Browns will have two first round picks. But before then, they have 19 games left with a first-time head coach, three first-time coordinators, a brand new offensive line and one of the youngest teams in football.

State of the quarterback competition

Watson was owed the final $46 million of his disastrous $230 million deal in 2025. To his credit, the 30-year-old put together a nice passing drive against Chicago's backups early in the first quarter, resulting in a 13-yard rushing touchdown from wide receiver KC Concepcion. It was his first game in 22 months, which was impressive in its own right.

But Watson lost a fumble and didn’t even attempt to throw the ball deeper than 10 yards downfield. His final statline wasn’t bad, but it certainly wasn’t a banner showing.

Watson’s preseason opener was definitely better than the younger quarterbacks, who each threw devastating, drive-crushing interceptions to Beanie Bishop with Chicago’s third and fourth string defensive backs.

Sanders said the ball slipped out of his hand, and that’s what caused his interception. The 24-year-old will have an opportunity to start Cleveland’s second preseason game, but not many starters will join Sanders, as they’ll get plenty of work against the Buffalo Bills in their joint practice on Thursday.

What will happen from here?

It certainly feels like Watson has the upper hand as the veteran in this competition. He’s gotten more starting reps than Sanders. They’ll split starting reps against Buffalo on Thursday. Sanders will start, Watson will play the third quarter and Gabriel will be on mop up duty in the fourth quarter.

Unless Sanders blows Cleveland’s coaching staff away in the next few days, the team appears to be getting Watson ready to play Week 1. But Sanders needs to stay ready, as history has proven the Browns will likely need multiple quarterbacks to get through the season.

Sanders will likely get an opportunity to play this year. But will it be enough to fend off Browns general manager Andrew Berry from selecting a quarterback in April?

The Browns have a young roster closer to contention than fans might realize. This new offensive line was a big investment, the two rookie receivers have been remarkable and the defense should still be in the top half of the NFL, even after trading away Myles Garrett.

Berry should be viewing the quarterback as the missing piece. Unfortunately for Watson and Sanders, they could just be the bridge to get the Browns there.

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