Deshaun Watson was QB1 over Shedeur Sanders long before brutal press conference
The Browns shocked many by choosing Deshaun Watson over Shedeur Sanders — but Cleveland says the decision was never really in doubt.
Although many were surprised to see the Cleveland Browns choose Deshaun Watson as their starting quarterback over Shedeur Sanders , everything indicates that the decision had been made within the organization for quite some time. As questions continued to grow about the quarterback competition, an NFL insider revealed how the team reached its final decision.
The announcement of Watson as the starter generated controversy, especially because the 30-year-old quarterback has not played since the 2024 season and was coming off an underwhelming preseason performance. Even so, ESPN analyst Jeremy Fowler explained that the Browns simply “stuck to the script,” as Watson had been considered the “heavy favorite” to win the job since the spring, although Sanders managed to close the gap in the competition.
Fowler said the team did not change its stance despite Watson’s poor performance last Saturday or his postgame comments, when he said he felt disrespected by fans after being booed.
“Well, the staff feels good because they felt like they didn't overreact… The last few weeks, Deshaun Watson steadied the ship a little bit coming out of that Thursday joint practice with Buffalo. It was clear Watson was the guy. He made several good throws that day, running with the first-team offense,” Fowler said.
The analyst added that Cleveland did not allow one bad performance, both on the field and in front of the microphones, to change the evaluation the team had made over the previous six months.
“So the Browns decided we're not going to let one bad day — that last Saturday that was pretty bad on the field and at the podium — affect what has been going on over the last six months,” Fowler continued.
Despite choosing Watson, the Browns were pleased with Sanders’ development and believe the rookie is prepared to take over the position if the veteran fails to meet expectations.
For now, Watson will be the one starting the season when Cleveland faces the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 13 , although the pressure on the quarterback will be at its highest from Week 1 .
