Ryan Fitzpatrick predicts sad ending for Deshaun Watson with the Browns: “It's going to happen”

Cleveland has handed Deshaun Watson another chance to prove he can still be the quarterback the Browns thought they were acquiring four years ago. Ryan Fitzpatrick , however, does not believe the experiment will last.

The former NFL quarterback delivered one of the bluntest assessments yet of Cleveland’s decision to start Watson ahead of Shedeur Sanders , predicting that the veteran will eventually lose the job and open the door for the younger quarterback.

“Once [Watson] fails, Shedeur's gonna jump into this thing, and he's going to be the guy,” Fitzpatrick said during Amazon Prime Video’s broadcast of Cleveland’s preseason game against the New England Patriots. “And this city is gonna be behind him.”

Kirk Herbstreit immediately pressed him on whether he was really predicting Watson would fail.

“Yeah, it's gonna happen,” he replied. “I mean, Shedeur's playing this year. I think all three of these guys, I think [Dillon] Gabriel's gonna have a chance to play as well.”

That confidence reflects the volatility surrounding Cleveland’s quarterback room entering Todd Monken’s first season as head coach.

Watson starts with pressure already building

Watson’s tenure with the Browns has never developed as planned. Cleveland gave him a fully guaranteed $230 million contract after acquiring him in 2022.

But injuries, missed time and inconsistent performances have kept him from becoming the long-term solution the franchise expected.

The pressure has only increased during the preseason. Watson was booed by Browns fans after struggling against Buffalo, later calling the reaction “disrespectful” before walking those comments back.

“I thought I was going to get a little different response,” Watson said. “I understand the frustration. I understand everything that kind of goes into that.”

That history makes his Week 1 assignment especially significant. He has the job, but unlike in previous seasons, there is an alternative waiting behind him.

Sanders has already built considerable support among Cleveland fans, while Dillon Gabriel gives the Browns another developmental option if the offense falters.

Fitzpatrick knows how quickly QB job can disappear

Fitzpatrick’s opinion carries extra weight because he spent much of his own 17-year NFL career navigating exactly this kind of uncertainty.

A seventh-round pick out of Harvard, he made 147 career starts but repeatedly found himself fighting to keep his job.

One of the clearest examples came in Miami in 2020, when Fitzpatrick had completed 70.1 percent of his passes and helped the Dolphins to a 3-3 record before rookie Tua Tagovailoa replaced him.

That experience may explain why Fitzpatrick sees Cleveland’s situation as unstable from the outset.

“This is such a young roster with a lot of changing parts and a lot of new guys, so they're gonna struggle on offense this year,” he said.

Watson will get the first chance to change that narrative when the Browns open against Jacksonville on September 13.

Fitzpatrick’s prediction, though, is already on the record and Cleveland may begin the season with Watson , but he doesn't expect it to end that way.