Shedeur Sanders or Deshaun Watson? Evaluating What Comes Next For Browns QB Position

The Brown turned to Sanders to start on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, and he looked sharp down the stretch of the game.

Nov 8, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) makes a throw against the New Orleans Saints during the second quarter at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Well, the Cleveland Browns expected to have this conversation at some point.

But for it to come up now, following Week 9 of the regular season, puts the coaching staff in quite a difficult situation.

Instead of the Browns changing quarterbacks due to struggles or on-field issues, the team has been thrown for a loop for a different reason.

Earlier in the week, starting quarterback Deshaun Watson was placed in concussion protocol before ending up on the inactive list for the Browns' Sunday outing in New Orleans. Shedeur Sanders, the team's backup second-year signal caller, was then thrust into the starting role.

He looked sharp, passing for 297 yards and two touchdowns, all while adding 28 yards on the ground. There were obvious signs that he was still young and inexperienced, but he commanded the offense pretty well from the second half on. Unfortunately, even with some incredible plays down the stretch, the Browns weren't able to pull the win out in overtime, falling by one, 23-22.

And now, the Browns have a question: is it time for Sanders to take charge, or is this still Watson's offense?

The Case For Sanders

Nov 8, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) makes a throw against the New Orleans Saints during the fourth quarter at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A younger, more impressionable quarterback, Sanders is in just his second year of action at the NFL level.

And while there are areas he still needs to see improvements in, most notably his decision-making and processing after a play breaks down, he still has a lot of positives to his game. With more time, it is obvious there is something there with the 24-year-old.

Sanders seemingly has a higher ceiling, just off age alone, and turning to him for the rest of the season would show that the Browns are interested in continuing the youth movement across the board.

Such a decision would also allow the young players like Harold Fannin Jr., KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston, all long-term staples of the offense, to continue growing chemistry with the expected future at the quarterback position.

The Browns are still in a position to play in the playoffs this season, though, above .500 by two games, which could result in the coaching staff returning back to the experience of Watson, even with Sanders showing promise.

Why Watson

Nov 1, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) looks to pass the ball during the third quarter of an NFL game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In all likelihood, the Browns' coaching staff will probably give the reins back over to Watson. After all, he did enough to lead the team to a 5-3 record through the first eight weeks, and if it weren't for a freak concussion protocol incident, he would have been on the field Sunday.

On the 2026 season, the 31-year-old Watson has thrown for 1,806 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions, all while completing 65.5% of his passes. In his two most recent starts, he has also tossed for back-to-back 300-yard performances

So far, he is putting up his best numbers since the 2020 season, the last year he was in Houston with the Texans.

With him finding such success, and still sitting on the Browns' biggest contract in franchise history, it only makes sense that the Browns continue to ride him out as the year dips into the back half.

And unfortunately, even if Sanders had thrown for 500 yards and five touchdowns, it seems that the goal was to always put Watson back under center when healthy.

Head coach Todd Monken, the rest of his staff and the front office will likely at least discuss the possibility of switching things up for a Week 10 duel with the Texans, but it is hard to imagine a world where Watson heads right back to the pine for the rest of his tenure with the Browns.