We really do not know, and that is okay, who Cleveland Browns HC Todd Monken plans or hopes will be the starting quarterback for the team heading into the 2026 offseason. With the Browns offseason program opening up early this week, every snap the quarterbacks take in front of the media (and later fans) will be analyzed, overanalyzed, and held as proof if someone has an agenda.
At this point, Shedeur Sanders seems to have a small leg up on the competition based on Monken’s recent comments. Deshaun
Watson, at least the one who last played good football in 2020, has the most upside. A veteran could be added in a trade, while the 2026 NFL draft still looms as a place where Cleveland can add a quarterback.
Watson is getting an early start before OTAs get going, working out with Jerry Jeudy, Isaiah Bond, and Jamari Thrash in the video below:
According to Monken, Sanders has been around the facilities in Berea regularly. Now we see Watson working with some of the team’s top receivers. If there is a true competition for the Browns starting quarterback job, it seems both are putting in the work to be ready, just in different ways.
