Browns' Deshaun Watson: Week 3 Waiver Priority List
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Watson had a solid game in Week 2 at Tampa Bay with 238 passing yards and two touchdowns, and he added 22 rushing yards for 23.7 Fantasy points. It's his first game with more than 20 Fantasy points since Week 3 of 2024, and we'll see how he does in Week 3 against Carolina. I don't have high expectations for Watson yet, but he should be added in all Superflex and two-quarterback leagues for at least 10 percent of your remaining FAAB.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Makes strong case in upset win
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Watson completed 24 of 30 passes for 238 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions while adding seven rushes for 22 yards in the Browns' 23-19 win over the Buccaneers on Sunday.
The proverbial vultures seemed to be surrounding Watson already after an ugly Week 1 loss to the Jaguars, but the oft-maligned veteran signal-caller preserved his starting job for the moment with Sunday's weather-delayed upset victory. Watson ran the Browns offense with a steady hand throughout the afternoon, avoiding turnovers while navigating a pair of sacks and connecting with Denzel Boston (55 yards) and Blake Whiteheart (17 yards) for his pair of touchdown passes. Watson has completed a stellar 76.9 percent of his passes and posted a 3:1 TD:INT through two games, and he'll next take on the Panthers in a Week 3 home matchup next Sunday.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Likely to remain starter for Week 2
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Head coach Todd Monken said Monday that he anticipates sticking with Watson as the Browns' starting quarterback for Week 2 against the Buccaneers, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.
Watson will retain the starting job, despite a poor showing Sunday in the Browns' 34-10 season-opening loss to the Jaguars. While making his first regular-season appearance since Oct. 20, 2024, Watson completed 16 of 22 pass attempts for 205 yards, one touchdown and one interception while rushing six times for 38 yards. Upon reviewing film of the game, Monken said he saw enough positives from Watson to stick with him as the team's starter, though the 31-year-old quarterback likely won't have much job security.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Ugly season debut Sunday
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Watson completed 16 of 22 passes for 205 yards with one touchdown and one interception while rushing six times for 38 yards in the Browns' 34-10 loss to the Jaguars on Sunday. He also fumbled once but recovered.
Watson put together a deceptively impressive 72.7 percent completion rate, but the numbers were largely empty in the context of a 24-point loss. Even Watson's one touchdown pass rang somewhat hollow, as it came with 1:52 remaining and the game well out of reach. While the 46-yard scoring strike to rookie Denzel Boston saw Watson flash some encouraging arm strength and accuracy, he and his offensive teammates could have another tough assignment on their hands in a Week 2 road matchup next Sunday against a Buccaneers defense that can be highly aggressive with its blitzes.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Named Cleveland's starting quarterback
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The Browns named Watson their starting quarterback Monday, multiple sources tell NFL reporter Jordan Schultz.
Watson won out in a job battle with Shedeur Sanders, after the quarterbacks alternated starts in the Browns' first two preseason contests. After an efficient showing in the preseason opener against the Bears (11-for-15 for 126 yards), Watson was unproductive over his four second-half drives in Saturday's 31-7 exhibition loss to the Bills, completing just five of 12 throws for 36 yards and an interception. The Browns were apparently encouraged enough from what they've seen from Watson over the course of training camp and the first two preseason tilts to move forward with him as their starter heading into the regular season, but he'll most likely be on a short leash. Since joining the Browns in 2022, Watson has posted a lowly 33.1 QBR while being limited to 19 total games due to injuries, including a torn right Achilles tendon and a subsequent re-rupture that kept him out for the entire 2025 season.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Poor second half Saturday
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Watson completed five of 12 passes for 36 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in Saturday's 31-7 preseason loss to the Bills. He also rushed twice for 13 yards.
After starting the preseason opener, Watson didn't enter Saturday's second preseason game until after halftime. Shedeur Sanders started and threw for 74 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Watson played all but one possession in the second half but failed to get anything going. Head coach Todd Monken said after the game that he will wait until Sunday to name a starter for Thursday's preseason finale against the Patriots, per Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal. There doesn't appear to be much daylight between Watson and Sanders in the competition for the starting QB role in Cleveland.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Looks sharp in preseason opener
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Watson completed 11 of 15 passes for 126 yards in Saturday's 34-10 preseason loss to the Bears. He added four rushing yards on three carries and lost a fumble.
The veteran QB may have gotten a leg up on Shedeur Sanders in the battle for the Browns' starting job. Watson played the entire first half and led his team on its only two scoring drives of the day, including one capped by a 14-yard TD run by rookie wideout KC Concepcion early in the second quarter. Watson did cost Cleveland a potential third score, however, coughing up the ball on a sack in Chicago territory. Sanders and Watson will continue their competition in next week preseason's contest against the Bills, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports, with Sanders starting and Watson playing the second half this time around. Another solid effort from Watson could be enough for coach Todd Monken to name him the Week 1 starter.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Starting preseason opener
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Watson will start Saturday's preseason game at Chicago, Kelsey Russo of the Browns' official site reports.
Coach Todd Monken relayed Wednesday that whoever starts Cleveland's preseason opener between Watson and Shedeur Sanders will play the first half, with the other entering the contest afterward. Then, the order will switch for the team's second exhibition Saturday, Aug. 22, against the Bills. Watson and Sanders have been alternating days working with the first-team offense in most practices during training camp, but Watson will get the first chance in a game to stake a claim to the No. 1 gig.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Listed as co-starter on depth chart
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When the Brown' unofficial depth chart is posted later Tuesday, the top QB slot will show 'Watson or Shedeur Sanders,' Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.
Meanwhile, Jackson notes that coach Todd Monken doesn't plan to reveal his QB plans for Saturday's preseason opener against the Bears just yet, but it's expected that whichever of the two starts that contest will give way the other in the Browns' second exhibition tilt. The two signal-callers continue to share first-team practice reps, with Monken having yet to outline a timeline for his decision on when a Week 1 starter will be named.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Saturday starter TBD
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Coach Todd Monken noted Monday that he hasn't decided whether Watson or Shedeur Sanders will start Saturday's preseason opener against the Bears, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.
Whichever of the duo doesn't start Saturday's preseason opener is expected to get the starting nod in the Browns' second preseason game, meaning this battle under center is far from settled. "As long as we're still sharing reps, it's a competition," Monken said. Throughout the summer, it has sounded like neither quarterback has been particularly sharp. After Watson handled most of the first-team reps in practice Saturday, Sanders is working with the ones Monday.
Watson took every starting rep in team drills during Saturday's practice, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.
Shedeur Sanders was scheduled to work with the first-team offense Saturday, but he ended up splitting second-team reps with Dillon Gabriel while Watson ran with the starters. Watson made the most of the opportunity with a productive practice, when he made nice connections with Isaiah Bond and Denzel Boston during team drills. Head coach Todd Monken will use Sunday's scheduled off day to deliberate whether Watson or Sanders will start in Saturday's preseason opener against the Bears.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Continues to alternate QB reps
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Coach Todd Monken noted Wednesday that Watson and Shedeur Sanders will continue to alternate first-team QB reps every practice until he names a starter, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.
While Sanders reportedly looked sharp during Tuesday's session, per Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram, Petrak indicates that Watson had his best day of camp thus far Wednesday, notably in terms of his accuracy and decision-making. With regard to a timetable for his decision on naming the Browns' Week 1 starter, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal relays that Monken has neither solidified the order in which starts will be assigned during the preseason nor when a top option will emerge. The team's exhibition opener is Aug. 15 against the Bears.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Rotation continues as pads come on
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Watson will continue to rotate first-team reps with Shedeur Sanders as the Browns begin practicing in pads, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.
Watson is getting the first-team reps Friday, which lines Sanders up to work with the starters Monday in what Oyefusi reports will be Cleveland's first practice in pads. Cleveland's quarterback competition is unlikely to be decided until much closer to the regular season.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Will continue to split reps
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Coach Todd Monken confirmed Wednesday that Watson and Shedeur Sanders will continue to share first-team reps at the start of training camp, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.
Meanwhile, Monken noted that at this stage he doesn't have a definite timeline for a decision on the team's starting QB for Week 1, while adding that the team plans to play its starters in the preseason. In any case, this is a job competition to monitor in the coming days and weeks, with added context on how the reps are divided between Watson and Sanders -- likely in some form of a rotation -- set to arrive once the Browns take the practice field again.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Starting QB decision not imminent
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Coach Todd Monken acknowledged Tuesday that he's unlikely to name either Watson or Shedeur Sanders as his starting quarterback by the conclusion of minicamp, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Monken had hoped to have a better idea of the pecking order by then, but it looks like the competition will carry over into training camp. With that in mind, the new head coach said that Watson and Sanders have "both played well enough to earn out the right to compete to start." While Sanders took all the Browns' first-team QB reps during Tuesday's practice, Watson will take them Wednesday, and on Thursday the two will split those reps.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: First QB through drills
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Watson was the first QB through the rotation at Wednesday's practice, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.
Watson took the first snap in individual drills and 7-on-7s, but Shedeur Sanders then went first in 11-on-11s, per Zac Jackson of The Athletic. The two split first-team snaps for the rest of the session, with Watson then taking over at the end for a hurry-up simulation. For individual drills, Sanders was second through the rotation, with Dillon Gabriel going third and Taylen Green predictably last. It's more or less what was expected, given that Watson has 72 NFL starts to his name and is competing with a trio of mid-round picks from the past two drafts. What's less clear is if the initial position means anything beyond deference to age/experience. Browns head coach Todd Monken seems to take Sanders seriously as a candidate for the starting job, and it wouldn't be surprising to see Gabriel (or even Green) take some first-team reps as well.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: May have inside track for QB1
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Watson reportedly emerged from last week's voluntary minicamp with an edge over Shedeur Sanders in the Browns' quarterback competition, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
The report notes that coach Todd Monken hopes to identify the team's starter by the end of Browns minicamp June 9-11, with Watson and Sanders viewed as the top two contenders for the role, while Dillon Gabriel and 2026 sixth-rounder Taylen Green are also in the mix to a lesser degree. Per Cabot, at this stage Watson --- who didn't see game action in 2025 due to an Achilles' injury -- appears to have the inside track to the assignment, but Sanders still has time to close the gap before Monken makes the call. In any case, the signal caller that ultimately gets the nod will be in line to helm a Cleveland passing offense that returns WRs Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman, as well as TE Harold Fannin, and is also set to welcome a pair of talented rookie wideouts in KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Freeing up cap space
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Watson (Achilles) agreed to terms Friday on a restructured contract with the Browns that converts a portion of his $80.71 million cap hit for the 2026 season into bonuses, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Watson's restructure provides Cleveland with increased flexibility ahead of the start of the legal tampering period March 9. The 30-year-old quarterback is heading into the final year of the fully guaranteed five-year contract he inked with the Browns back in 2022, and Cabot reports that Watson is now back to full health after having undergone two surgeries to repair the right Achilles tendon he re-ruptured after the 2024 season. Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry recently named both Watson and Shedeur Sanders as candidates to compete for the team's starting quarterback job in 2026, per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Not being activated this season
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Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed Tuesday that the Browns will not activate Watson (Achilles) from the reserve/PUP list this season, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.
Watson tore his right Achilles tendon in October of last season, then subsequently re-ruptured the tendon and required another surgery Jan. 9. The veteran quarterback had made enough progress in his recovery for the Browns to clear him to practice Dec. 3, but Watson was always viewed as a longshot to be activated at any point in 2025. With his 21-day evaluation window officially coming to a close Tuesday, Watson wasn't reinstated and won't be eligible to practice with the team over the final two weeks of the season. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Cleveland is expected to keep Watson on the roster in 2026, the final year of his five-year, $230 million deal. Watson hasn't played in a game since Week 10 of the 2024 campaign, and it's unclear if the Browns will seriously consider him for a starting role if he's indeed on the team next season.
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Browns' Deshaun Watson: Roster decision coming next week
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Watson (Achilles) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Bills, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.
Per Oyefusi, coach Kevin Stefanski said the Browns will make a decision on whether to add Watson back to the active roster prior to the team's Week 17 game against Pittsburgh. An official transaction activating Watson from the reserve/PUP list will have to be made by next Tuesday, or Watson will be ineligible to play this season. Shedeur Sanders will start Sunday against the Bills.
