Browns Reportedly Sticking with Watson
By: Gavin Oliver November 9, 2026

The Cleveland Browns are reportedly sticking with Deshaun Watson as their starting quarterback.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Browns are going back to Watson as QB1 after he cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol.

The former Clemson star will reportedly be the team’s starting quarterback in Week 10 against the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Watson missed this past Sunday’s Week 9, 23-22 overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit in Week 8 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Last Wednesday, Cleveland announced that Watson had been placed in concussion protocol. He didn’t clear it until Saturday and was inactive for Sunday’s game against the Saints.

Filling in against New Orleans, backup Shedeur Sanders put together a strong performance while throwing for 297 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, sparking speculation about whether he might replace Watson as the regular starter.

While reports indicate the team is returning to Watson, head coach Todd Monken said in his Monday press conference that he was not ready to announce who will start at quarterback on Sunday.

“I really haven’t thought through it other than getting through this morning’s tape,” Monken said Monday. “We just got done meeting with the guys, they’ll flush the game and then we’ll have a chance to meet offensively more extensively a little bit later today.”

Following a long road to recovery from multiple Achilles tendon tears that cut his 2024 season short and wiped out his 2025 campaign entirely, Watson has started all eight games he’s played in for Cleveland (5-4), completing 65.5 percent of his passes for 1,806 yards with seven touchdown passes and three interceptions. He has also rushed for 217 yards and a rushing score on 51 carries.

Watson has led five fourth-quarter, game-winning drives during the 2026 season. The 31-year-old is in the final year of his fully guaranteed $230 million contract that he signed in March 2022 after being traded to Cleveland from the Houston Texans, with whom he was a three-time Pro Bowler.