The Cleveland Browns‘ quarterback competition has a new voice weighing in. Deshaun Watson is working back from a serious Achilles injury, while Shedeur Sanders impressed in his final seven starts last season and during recent minicamp work. Training camp is approaching, and NFL insider reports show the gap between the two quarterbacks narrowing fast. Now, former NFL star Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson has a blunt take that could shape this battle.
Deshaun Watson Gets 6 Weeks to Save His Job Before Shedeur Sanders Takes Over
Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson laid out his expectation for the Browns’ plan during a recent episode of Nightcap. He believes Cleveland will start Watson to open the season, but only with a strict trial period.
Watson enters the final year of the fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract he signed when the Browns traded for him in 2022. That guaranteed money is one reason many expect Watson to start first.
Johnson set a clear deadline and said, “Watson will get 6 weeks of the season to prove he’s the starter.”
He explained that Watson needs the offense playing above expectations within that stretch, or Sanders steps in and finishes the season as the starter.
Quarterbacks Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel practice together at the Browns mini camp in Berea on April 21, 2026.
Sanders started the final seven games of his rookie season, throwing for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns while adjusting to a new offense.
The prediction lines up with recent reporting from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who said Sanders has closed the gap on Watson since the spring. Fowler reported that Sanders impressed the new coaching staff with his decisiveness and presence under first-year head coach Todd Monken, even as Watson remains the favorite entering camp. But Johnson’s prediction hinges on Watson staying healthy, and his recent injury history complicates that picture.
Deshaun Watson’s Achilles Comeback Adds New Layer to Browns QB Battle
Watson’s road back runs through a torn right Achilles tendon, which required two surgeries and kept him out of every game in 2025. The injury adds another layer of uncertainty to an already crowded quarterback room.
In his last action, during the 2024 season, Watson went 1-6 as a starter, completing 63.4 percent of his passes for 1,148 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions.
Nearly two years removed from that performance, Watson is back on the practice field and pushing to prove that version of him is in the past. Watson and Sanders have split first-team reps through OTAs and minicamp, with Monken calling both quarterbacks deserving of the chance to compete for the job.
Monken has indicated the competition could extend well beyond the timeline Johnson described, with the battle expected to continue into Cleveland’s preseason opener against the Chicago Bears on August 15.
Coaches have praised Watson’s movement early in offseason work, but his long injury history leaves plenty for him to prove once camp opens.
Watson and Sanders now carry this competition into training camp with no decision made. Cleveland opens the regular season on September 13 at the Jacksonville Jaguars, a game that could reveal who has won the job by then.
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