The Cleveland Browns made a surprising move for Deshaun Watson, and they clearly want to maximize his abilities despite strong competition from Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel. However, owner Jimmy Haslam provided an early indication of who could take the starting role next NFL season.
In Pro Football Talk, Haslam said Watson has a “great chance” and a “fresh start” with first-year coach Todd Monken. “Deshaun has a great chance, fresh start, offensive minded coach, who has in his past been able to work with all kinds of different quarterbacks and make them successful,” Haslam said.
“So, Deshaun has a great chance to do that now. We talked to him the other day, he said he weighs the least he has in several years. He’s in great shape, he’ll be in Cleveland on April 7 when we start the offseason workout program. Let’s see what Deshaun can do. We’re all excited.”
Sanders and Gabriel are the other in-house options for the Browns right now, although General Manager Andrew Berry suggested that group will grow when he spoke to reporters over the weekend. The direction the Browns take with any outside move will likely determine how strong Watson’s chances are to win the job.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson #4 of the Cleveland Browns
How Watson arrives to the Browns
Haslam’s comments last year came after Watson’s season-ending Achilles tear in October 2024, which marked the second consecutive season in which he suffered a season-ending injury, following shoulder surgery in November 2023.
Watson missed the entire 2025 season after retearing his Achilles and undergoing a second surgery in January 2025. The 30-year-old is now healthy and expected to compete with Sanders and Gabriel for the starting quarterback role, and based on Haslam’s comments, he appears to have an early edge.
Suspensions and injuries have limited Watson, a three-time Pro Bowler with the Houston Texans, to just 19 games since the Browns traded three first-round picks and signed him to a fully guaranteed $230 million deal in March 2022.
Since joining Cleveland, his 33.1 Total QBR has ranked last among qualifying passers. The Browns will pay Watson a $46 million salary in 2026, and they recently restructured his contract to reduce what had been an NFL-high $80.7 million cap hit for the upcoming season.
