Watson tapped to start Browns' preseason opener
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- Deshaun Watson will start the Browns' preseason opener against the Bears in Chicago on Saturday, per coach Todd Monken's announcement after Wednesday's practice.
- Shedeur Sanders will start the second preseason game at home against Buffalo on Aug. 22, having alternated first-team reps with Watson throughout Cleveland's ongoing quarterback competition.
- Watson hasn't played since tearing his right Achilles in October 2024 and missed all of 2025 after a second Achilles surgery in January 2025, appearing in just 19 games total since his March 2022 trade to Cleveland — his 33.1 Total QBR would rank last among qualifying quarterbacks.
- Sanders, the 144th pick in the 2025 NFL draft, went 3-4 in seven rookie starts with 7 TDs, 10 INTs, and a rushing TD; his 18.9 QBR ranked fifth-lowest among 696 quarterbacks with at least 200 attempts since 2006.
- Monken said before Wednesday's practice that he hoped to play the starting quarterback for one half, with the other quarterback entering in the third quarter.
- Coaches have praised Sanders' pre-snap and post-snap development dating to the offseason workout program, with Sanders saying the team 'approach[es] practice like a game.'
Why it matters: The Browns are auditioning two bottom-tier quarterbacks in live action before naming a Week 1 starter. Watson hasn't played since October 2024 and is coming off two Achilles surgeries; Sanders went 3-4 as a rookie with a fifth-lowest QBR. Splitting halves across two games makes these exhibitions the de facto Browns QB competition.
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