Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders are currently locked in a quarterback battle at Cleveland. Both signal-callers aspire to become the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns come Week 1 of the 2026 season.
Despite being out for the better part of two years, Watson is considered by experts the favorite to get the role. This doesn’t mean he’s the one most fans would like to see playing every Sunday.
A section of the Cleveland fandom got attached to Sanders in the latter part of the 2025 season, when the former Colorado quarterback became the team’s de facto starter. The team did show some improvement during his period as a starter, which is not saying much, given the way the Browns’ season had been going.
Asked during training camp this season, how he feels about a section of the fandom preferring Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson had this to say:
“I can’t control what people support. … I think that all I can do is just put out the best person I am, showcase who I am as a person, as a player, as a teammate, and I what I represent as an individual.”
Watson has been with the Browns since 2022, but has never been able to play a full season. In 2022 and 2023, he only managed to play six games, and in 2024, four. While the latter two short stints were due to injury, the 2022 season was cut short due to a lengthy suspension following accusations of sexual misconduct by the player.
What is the current priority for Deshaun Watson?
Speaking during the same training camp on Wednesday, the quarterback declared that his goal for this season is to be able to play a full season and stay healthy in the process:
“I’m trying to play a full season,” Watson, 30, said when asked if he’s thought about what could happen in 2027. “I’m just trying to be healthy so I can play all 17-plus games. I don’t know. What happens is going to happen at that time.”
The last time Watson was able to play a full season was in 2020, when he was with the Houston Texans.
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