If any Pittsburgh Steelers fan wants to feel better about the state of their quarterback room, at least it’s not as bad as the Cleveland Browns. A team entering the offseason with a 2025 fifth-round rookie and a veteran who headlined one of the worst trades in NFL history. That’s Shedeur Sanders and DeShaun Watson, leaders in the clubhouse to start in 2026.
Speaking to reporters at the NFL Combine on Tuesday, Browns GM Andrew Berry acknowledged the options start in-house.
“I think any player that we have in that room we would expect to compete to earn a role,” Berry said via ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi. “Those two would be no different.”
Cleveland entered the season with veteran Joe Flacco starting, beating out Kenny Pickett, who was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders. Flacco fell on his face to begin the year and was dealt to the Cincinnati Bengals, faring much better with stronger talent on the receiving end of his passes.
Rookie Dillon Gabriel got the first chance to replace him but failed to move the offense and later suffered a concussion. Sanders got his opportunity and played respectable football, given his rookie status and lack of personnel around him. He threw for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns across seven starts. Still, he also tossed 10 interceptions and took plenty of bad sacks, tamping down optimism of being Cleveland’s long-awaited answer.
Watson missed the entire season recovering after twice tearing the Achilles tendon in his right foot. On the roster solely because of his massive, fully guaranteed contract, he’s the veteran in the room. If Cleveland can squeeze anything else out of him, it’ll (slightly) ease the pain of trading for him in the first place. Since then, Watson has been suspended for more games (11) than he’s won (nine).
Cleveland’s been connected to pending free agent QB Malik Willis. But Berry admitted the Browns are an “offseason away” from making free-agency splashes, likely taking a $35 million-per-year contract Willis could command off the table. Instead, the Browns could audition all three of the team’s internal options this summer: Sanders, Watson, and Gabriel, in the hopes of cobbling together enough quarterback play to help Berry survive another season leading the organization. If not, the team’s next quarterback decision will be made by someone else.
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