Browns' Silence at Trade Deadline Means One Thing for Deshaun Watson Moving Forward

Cleveland wasn't much of a player as the NFL's transaction deadline passed on Tuesday.

Nov 8, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson stands with team owner Jimmy Haslam before their game against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The NFL’s trade deadline for the 2026-‘27 season flew by, and the Cleveland Browns mostly stayed pat, save for a few practice squad moves.

Among other things, that means that the Browns remain unchanged at the quarterback position, headlined by starter Deshaun Watson and backed up by Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and rookie Taylen Green.

While most of the conversation regarding Cleveland and potential trade targets revolved around other positions, mainly defensive line help, some league observers suggested the Browns could move on from one of their quarterbacks, even bringing up the possibility of trading Watson away.

Since no deal was struck, Watson is now expected to reclaim his starting job after missing last weekend’s start with a concussion as Sanders returns to the bench, pending head coach Todd Monken’s official announcement.

So, why weren’t the Browns interested in dealing Deshaun Watson away?

Well, for starters, Sanders didn’t exactly set the world on fire during his only start of the season, last Sunday against New Orleans. While the second-year passer did have his moments and only a failed 2-point conversion in overtime prevented him from leading the Browns to his first win of the season, he needed much more than what he offered to warrant a longer stay in the top position.

The club’s inaction at a point in the season when the team is still very much in the thick of the playoff hunt at 5-4, despite woeful quarterback performances all season long, would seem to point to the team believing it’s not just one passer away from true contention. This theory gains traction when you look at the offensive line and running game performances through the first nine weeks.

Most importantly, it signals that the Browns are still in audition mode with Watson. If the front office’s mind were already made up about these being definitely the last few games with Watson at the helm, why not try to get something in return? It was known across the league that at least one playoff contender was looking to add a seasoned quarterback after a miserable Monday Night Football outing.

At the same time, the Browns are staring down the barrel of a gun with a pending $86 million dead cap hit for next year due to void years tacked on at the end of his contract, and if the Browns don’t designate him a post-June cut before March 13 —allowing the team to split that hit over two years— it would automatically trigger an unfathomable $200 million salary guarantee.

That’s the one thing we can all bet won’t happen in Cleveland. Then again, it’s the Browns we’re talking about.

Likewise, if Monken and the team were truly convinced he’s the franchise quarterback, the Browns would already be negotiating with him to decrease his cap numbers and allow the team to find help at other positions.

So, it looks like the audition isn’t done. While the expectation is that the Browns will use the draft capital acquired from the Myles Garrett trade to find a new passer, the team seemingly wants to keep its options open with Watson, just in case.

What about Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel?

Again, the Browns don’t seem to be completely sure about Watson beyond the next eight games. Therefore, keeping a couple of cheap young passers with starting experience in the fold while determining where the team’s next franchise quarterback will come from sounds like a plan.

Maybe the Browns will try the veteran route once again, as they did with Watson. Sanders and Gabriel’s very palatable deals make them great backup candidates, with Green as a developmental option for the future. And if Cleveland tries going back to the draft well once again, then Sanders and Gabriel would be asked to step into a mentor role for whoever comes in.

In any case, Cleveland really didn’t look like it was seriously considering moving on from any of its quarterbacks at the deadline. At 5-4, the Browns' front office seems a little nervous about risking their current playoff chances, and opting to stay stuck with a below-average quarterback situation that has shockingly produced last-second wins seems to support this thesis.

The problem is that the quarterback play that led to those surprising last-minute wins is unsustainable in the long run, as Cleveland is about to find out.