The Cleveland Browns continue to face uncertainty at the quarterback position heading into the 2026 season, with head coach Todd Monken tasked with selecting a starter between veteran Deshaun Watson and second-year player Shedeur Sanders. The team has cycled through 19 different quarterbacks who started at least one regular-season game over the preceding decade, highlighting a persistent organizational challenge at the position.
Monken has outlined a strategic approach to making his decision, allocating one start to each quarterback across the first two preseason games scheduled for Aug. 15 against the Chicago Bears and Aug. 22 against the Buffalo Bills. The coach did not specify which quarterback would start in each matchup. Following those contests and joint practice sessions with Buffalo, Monken plans to determine which quarterback will start the third preseason game against the New England Patriots on Aug. 27. The final depth chart decision, however, will not be finalized until the team’s Week 1 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Watson arrives at this competition with extensive NFL experience but a complicated history. The 30-year-old missed the entire 2021 season and was suspended for the first 11 games of the 2022 season following violations of the NFL’s personal conduct policy. He has also dealt with significant injuries, including a torn Achilles suffered in Week 7 of the 2024 season and another Achilles tear in January of 2025 that required surgery. Through 72 starts with the Browns, Watson has accumulated 17,904 passing yards, 123 touchdowns and 48 interceptions.
Sanders, a fifth-round draft pick, entered the NFL after falling further in the draft than initially expected despite his college pedigree at Colorado. The 24-year-old started seven games last season after other quarterbacks departed or were sidelined, becoming the first Browns quarterback this century to win his NFL debut. Sanders recorded 1,400 passing yards, 7 touchdowns and 10 interceptions across his eight games played last season.
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