Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken recently declared the team’s quarterback competition between former Clemson star Deshaun Watson and second-year pro Shedeur Sanders too close to call.
Both signal-callers split first-team reps during OTAs and minicamp, and Monken has pushed back his QB1 decision into training camp, where they will compete in pads.
Monken isn’t ready to choose a starter right now.
“I’m not going to name a No. 1,” Monken said to reporters on June 9. “… I just don’t see it after the way Shedeur has played and Deshaun’s played. They’ve both played well enough to earn the right to compete to start.”
Can Watson himself feel that — that the QB battle with Sanders is too close to call, as Monken says?
“I just come, show up every day,” Watson said on June 10. “… He’s the head coach. He’s the one calling the plays, and he’s gotta decide who he wants out there on the field. So at the end of the day, I’ve gotta just show up each and every day and be ready, and wait for [when] my number is called.”
Watson has not played in an NFL game since he suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon tear during Cleveland’s Week 7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 20, 2024. Less than three months after his initial tear, Watson tore his Achilles for the second time and underwent a second surgery in January 2025 to repair it, forcing him to miss the entire 2025 season. He also underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in November 2023.
However, despite all the injury setbacks, the 30-year-old says he is “fully healthy” again as he enters the final year of his deal in 2026.
“I’m ready to go,” Watson said. “This last year, I was able to conquer that. I haven’t been 100% since that Tennessee game [in Week 3] in 2023.”
Watson described his rehab since the last time he played in an NFL game as a process with “a lot of ups and downs.”
“I learned a lot about myself,” Watson said. “Learned that I just got to be patient, just keep working, keep pushing forward. But I’ve always kind of had that mentality since I was a kid growing up, so it wasn’t anything new for me. The situation and environment was probably new, just being with the type of injuries that I had. But outside of that, I just keep pushing forward. That’s how life goes. Life is going to continue to go on. So yeah, it’s been tough. But at the same time, I was able to grow and learn.”
In March 2022, Watson signed a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract with Cleveland after being traded from the Houston Texans to the Browns, who gave away a bunch of draft picks (including three first-round picks) in the deal.
Watson has faced plenty of adversity in recent seasons, both on and off the field. He played in just six games in his first season with Cleveland in 2022 after having to serve a suspension and then was limited to just six games in 2023, seven in 2024 and zero in 2025 due to the season-ending injuries.
In March 2025, Browns co-owner Jimmy Haslam notoriously called the team’s blockbuster trade and massive contract for Watson “a big swing-and-miss” due to his tenure with Cleveland that has been marred by suspension, injuries and subpar on-field performance.
When asked about Haslam’s “swing-and-miss” comment, Watson shrugged it off and said his relationship with the organization is “great.”
He remains confident in himself and is looking to take full advantage of his chance to potentially be Cleveland’s starter again this year. He hopes to hit a home run and bounce back to his previous Pro Bowl form.
Watson is drawing inspiration from one of his favorite baseball players in Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper.
“The relationship is great,” Watson said. “[Co-owner] Dee [Haslam], Jimmy, they were at my wedding. We talk all the time. He calls me whenever. It happens and things like that. One of my favorite baseball players that I’ve been watching is Bryce Harper. Sometimes he swings, but he stands back up, and he gets another opportunity, and he hits a home run.
“So, you never know what opportunity might show up, and that’s what I have right now.”
In 19 total games for the Browns, Watson has completed 61.2 percent of his passes for 3,365 yards and 19 touchdowns with 12 interceptions.
A three-time Pro Bowler during his time with the Texans, Watson has a 66.2 completion percentage for his career with 17,904 passing yards and 123 passing touchdowns with 48 interceptions in 73 career games with the Texans and Browns since being selected by Houston in the first round (12th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft.