Deshaun Watson Overtakes Shedeur Sanders in Browns QB Competition: Report

Veteran quarterback Deshaun Watson emerged with an edge over second-year signal caller Shedeur Sanders after last week’s voluntary Cleveland Browns minicamp, according to a report from team insider Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com on Wednesday.

Watson has the “inside track” to be named the starting quarterback over Sanders to start the 2026 NFL season. Watson and Sanders both took first-team reps during last week’s voluntary minicamp, but Watson reportedly ended up with more starting reps by the end of the week.

Browns head coach Todd Monken reportedly hopes to identify the team’s QB1 by the end of minicamp in early June.

“With my breaking news here that Deshaun Watson has taken the lead over Shedeur Sanders in the #Browns QB competition and has the inside track to win it, I think they should declare him QB1 asap and let the 1st team offense start to cook. There’s no time to waste,” Cabot reported.

Watson missed the entire 2025 NFL season as he recovered from a torn Achilles. Sanders made seven starts for the Browns in his rookie season, leading the team to a 3-4 record while completing 56.6% of his pass attempts for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Cabot said Sanders will need to “dazzle the coaching staff to land atop the depth chart heading into training camp."

The Browns’ quarterback depth chart consists of Watson, Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and sixth-round rookie Taylen Green.

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This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 11:12 AM.