Deshaun Watson #4 of the Cleveland Browns
Getty
Deshaun Watson #4 of the Cleveland Browns
You could throw a dart into a room full of former quarterbacks and there would be a high percentage chance that you’d hit one who has suited up for the Cleveland Browns. No one cycles through QBs quite like this franchise, and the there must be a certain connection based in historical futility that bonds them all together. If you need some thoughts on whether the team should start Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders here in 2026, then, you can simply ask a guy who had the job 17 years ago.
That would be former first-round pick Brady Quinn, whose Browns career spanned three seasons and a 3-9 record in 12 career starts.
Backers of Sanders won’t much like this, but Quinn said on Tuesday that the Browns should be coming out with Watson as the starter in Week 1 this season, citing his lengthy experience and hefty contract.
Deshaun Watson’s ‘Got the Most Experience’
Speaking on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland on Tuesday, Quinn explained why he thinks Watson–who is coming back from two Achilles tendon surgeries and has not played since October 2024–is the man for the Browns, at least to open the year.
“He’s the most experienced,” Quinn said. “It’s along-winded conversation but, ultimately, you’ve paid him and you’re paying him. So, you gotta kind of see what’s still there in my opinion. If he’s healthy and he’s able to, then you gotta play him. Then you can move to the younger guy depending how things go.
“But that’s how I would see the beginning of the season. You go with the guy that’s got the most experience, the most starts doing it and see where he is at, see if there’s anything left to salvage because of the commitment you made however many years ago.”
Brady Quinn #10 of the Cleveland Browns
Brady Quinn #10 of the Cleveland Browns
Browns Could Move to Shedeur Sanders if Deshaun Watson Flops
The commitment was, of course, significant. In arguably the worst contract in the history of the NFL, the Browns in 2022 guaranteed Watson $230 million over five years. It would not seem a smart move to give Watson the job based on that.
Quinn said it’s what the Browns ought to do anyway: “That maybe sounds like more of a business decision and answer, but that’s what this league is. That’s what I think you’ve got to find out this year, before you start over again next year. Because that’s the biggest financial burden.
“And so before you can move on and see what’s there, you’ve got to kick the tires on that one last time, then you can turn it over to Shedeur, then you can turn it over to Dillon Gabriel if he is there as well. When you start with the veteran, you already know what you pretty much have—maybe to some degree, his health, this system, what he can do under Monken. But you gotta start there, and then once you turn it over to Shedeur.”
Browns Should Go With Best Option From the Start
There is some logic to that, to putting the veteran first, then moving to the young player. But there are a couple of problems with that from the Browns’ perspective. For one thing, they did that last year, going from Joe Flacco to Dillon Gabriel to Sanders, who finishing the season with a 3-4 record, while the other two went 2-8.
For another thing, saying you’ll start with Watson and hand it over to Sanders pretty much concedes that you’re headed for another losing year. presumably, it would only be after at least four or five starts that Watson would be bumped out of the starting job, which means you might be giving Sanders the job already down in the standings and without that handful of games to improve.
The Browns have not been tanking in recent years–if they go that route, they can dump Myles Garrett for draft picks, play quarterback roulette again and be the same Browns we’ve seen over the years. If they’re serious about winning, they should pick the quarterback who gives them the best chance from the outset.