Believe it or not, the Cleveland Browns are going to be one of the most-watched teams this offseason as Todd Monken tries to figure out who will be his starting quarterback in 2026.
With Deshaun Watson, Sheduer Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel, the three vying for the title, all of them will reportedly get a fair chance to win the starting role.
Who should get that role is up for debate.
Which way it will end up going will be fascinating, but for Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, who wrote that Monken is taking the “best man wins” approach to the starting role, has outlined the tough decision that Monken is facing this offseason.
“And, yes, I think the Browns would like to get one last long look at the quarterback they’re spending $230 million on and forked over three first-round picks for, now that Watson is back and healthy,” Breer wrote.
“Similarly, it’d make sense to have a full-and-thorough idea of who Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and even Taylen Green are ahead of what could be a franchise-shifting offseason in 2027, with the team potentially lining up another big swing at getting the quarterback position right once and for all next April.”
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Who should Browns’ QB1 be?
For me, it’s down to Watson and Sanders for now.
I feel that the main reason Watson is in the running is because of his experience, plus, as Breer wrote, the Browns want to get one last look at the player they spent so much money on.
But then there’s Sanders, who did show a bit of promise in his rookie season. Yes, there were some bad moments, but there were also some good ones as well. So, what another full offseason could do for Sanders is an interesting thought.
In truth, Monken can’t really get the decision “wrong” because he has two good candidates, and if one stutters, then he’ll simply pivot to the other.
Although in an ideal world, his first choice would be the season-long starter. But who should it be?