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Browns’ Quarterbacks Ranked Among NFL’s Worst As Open Competition Lags On

There's very little optimism around the league in regards to the Cleveland Browns' current quarterback competition.
Rafael Zamorano|
Cleveland Browns quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders take part in a passing drill during training camp, July, 31, 2026, in Berea.
Cleveland Browns quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders take part in a passing drill during training camp, July, 31, 2026, in Berea. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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Cleveland Browns

You can say Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken has his work cut out for him. 

And then some. 

As the Browns stay embroiled in what now seems a never-ending open battle for the starting position at quarterback between high-priced veteran Deshaun Watson and second-year fifth-rounder Shedeur Sanders, execs and coaches across the league have made it very clear they don’t think too highly of whomever ends up as the winner in Cleveland. 

According to a piece published by The Athletic on Tuesday -- where a panel of 50 anonymous voters that included “eight general managers, five assistant GMs, five former GMs and three other executives, plus nine head coaches, 10 defensive coordinators, five offensive coordinators, two offensive assistants, one defensive assistant and two coaches specializing in analytics/game management” broke down 35 quarterbacks into five tiers -- there is no quarterback on the Browns roster listed above the fifth and final group.

Sanders came in ranked at 35, last among all quarterbacks, while Watson fared just minimally better at 31, falling one tier from where he was positioned the last time he made an appearance in the yearly publication, back in 2024.

The comment section from the anonymous voters wasn’t kind to Sanders or Watson, either.

“He’s inaccurate at all three levels,” stated one exec regarding Sanders, according to the story. “I can’t tell if he is going to get better, but there’s a huge gap between him and competent QB play.” 

One defensive coordinator cited was even harsher, saying: “I'd sleep like a baby if I got to play him every week.”

For Watson -- who actually made tier 1 in this piece pack in 2020 and 2021 while playing for the Texas -- things weren’t objectively better, with one offensive coordinator explaining: “I don’t think he can come back. You do not all of a sudden get drive and desire and processing skills. He showed he had none of that with what he put on film. He’s a 5 at this point.”

Of course, The Athletic’s piece -- authored by Mike Sando -- isn’t alone in considering Cleveland’s quarterbacks among the most dreadful in the NFL. 

A couple of weeks ago, CBS Sports ran a piece describing the Browns’ situation as the worst in the league. Meanwhile, Clevanalytics.com has Browns’ quarterbacks owing three of the four worst single seasons since 2017 in terms of success rate (with a minimum of 220 pass attempts) -- Watson’s 2024 campaign, along with Sanders’ and Dillon Gabriel’s rookie campaigns last year. 

Ironically enough, Monken acknowledged on Monday that former third-rounder Gabriel could make it a three-way competition, with the way he’s been performing at training camp so far.

Who will ultimately win the Browns’ open quarterback competition?

It sounds almost ridiculous to say at this point of the summer, but it still might be too early to tell. 

If you go only by the numbers, Sanders should be leading the way with six touchdowns against one interception after five practices, followed by Gabriel -- who’s worked with the 2s and 3s against the 2s and 3s -- and his three scores against three picks. Lagging behind is Watson, with three touchdowns versus six interceptions so far.

Nonetheless a few training camp observers have been quick to point out that while Sanders may be showing some improvement, the ball still isn’t coming out on time consistently, like a ton of other things that doesn’t necessarily show up on a stat sheet in a practice environment. 

The truth of the matter, unfortunately for Monken and the Browns, seems to be that none of the quarterbacks has taken a step forward decisive enough where the team can call the competition settled. The Browns will open their preseason in a little over a week, and even then, we might not know who the definitive starter will be. 

Monken’s first experience as an NFL head coach, at 60-years old, couldn’t be more challenging, even for a guy known among league circles as a quarterback whisperer. And with the team already sitting on two first-round picks for next year, the current quarterback situation in Berea is increasingly looking like a one-and-done.

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Rafael Zamorano
RAFAEL ZAMORANO

Rafael brings more than two decades worth of experience writing all things football.

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