Browns Will Give QBs Deshaun Watson & Shedeur Sanders One Start Each In Preseason

According to Scott Petrak of BrownsZone, Browns HC Todd Monken said on NFL Network that he plans to start QB Shedeur Sanders for one of the first two preseason games.

Monken added that while he hasn’t decided whether it will be against the Bears or the Bills, QB Deshaun Watson will start the other game that Sanders does not.

Browns QB Dillon Gabriel could wind up starting the third preseason game, given that his reps increased after a strong performance in practice that earned him praise from Monken.

Sanders has performed well in camp so far, while Watson, on the other hand, has struggled to start things off.

Watson, 30, was taken in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft out of Clemson by the Texans. He signed a four-year, $13.854 million rookie deal with the Texans that included a fifth-year option of around $17.3 million for the 2021 season.

The Texans later signed Watson to a four-year extension worth as much as $177 million heading into the 2020 season, paying him $39 million a year. However, Watson requested a trade after the season, then sat out the entire 2021 season while navigating more than two dozen lawsuits for sexual misconduct. He was later suspended for 11 games. 

Watson was traded to the Browns for significant draft compensation in 2022 and signed a five-year, $230 million, fully guaranteed contract as part of the trade. The deal runs through 2026 and includes base salaries of $46 million in each of the final two seasons. 

In 2024, Watson appeared in seven games for the Browns and completed 63.4 percent of his pass attempts for 1,148 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. He added 31 carries for 148 yards and another score.

We will have more news on the Browns’ quartebacks as it becomes available.