The Cleveland Browns named Deshaun Watson their starting quarterback heading into the 2026 season, but how long will that last? 

With Shedeur Sanders pushing from behind and a brutal early-season schedule looming, Watson’s grip on the job feels tenuous at best. A to Z Sports’ Brandon Little, who covers the Browns, offered some telling insight into what happened inside the building during training camp and what the first few weeks of the season could look like.

The Browns open the year with back-to-back road games at Jacksonville and Tampa Bay before returning home in Week 3 against the Panthers. That scheduling detail matters. Watson avoids the home crowd’s frustration for at least two weeks, but the reprieve might not last long.

Little predicts Sanders will start more games this season than Watson, even with Watson getting the Week 1 nod. That prediction carries weight given what Little observed throughout camp.

The Browns legitimately gave both guys a chance to win the job, and neither separated themselves. In the end, the Browns are content with Watson beginning the season as a starter, seeing how those first two games go on the road.

That framing is critical. Cleveland isn’t committed to Watson long-term. The organization is “content” with him starting, not confident. The first two road games feel like an audition, and the Browns are watching closely.

Watson had some very positive moments during training camp, including the joint practice with the Bills, but for the most part he looked at the same guy we’ve seen the last few years.

That assessment tells you everything. Watson flashed at moments but failed to separate himself from a rookie quarterback. If you’re a veteran making $46 million in cash this season, flashing at moments isn’t enough. You need to command the job, and Watson couldn’t do that against Sanders.

The preseason tells a story too

For whatever weight you want to give preseason games, Sanders looked more competent than Watson when both took the field. Sanders moved the offense with purpose. Watson looked like the same quarterback who has struggled since arriving in Cleveland.

The NFL is a follow-the-money league, and Watson’s $46 million in cash this year dwarfs what Sanders is earning as a rookie. That financial reality is the primary reason Watson is starting, not his on-field performance. The Browns are giving their massive investment one more chance to prove it was worth something.

Week 3 is the real test

The first home game against the Panthers in Week 3 looms as the make-or-break moment. If Watson stumbles through two ugly road performances and then has to face the home crowd at 0-2, the pressure becomes enormous. 

Public sentiment is a real force in these situations, and Cleveland’s fanbase has been patient long enough.

Week 4 brings a Thursday Night Football matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers on a national broadcast. If Watson is still the starter by then and playing poorly, the scrutiny intensifies to a level that ownership and the front office cannot ignore.

The Browns’ brass can say whatever they want right now in late August. Ask them again when Watson is getting booed in his own stadium and the team is staring at an 0-3 start. 

When the noise becomes deafening, ownership and the general manager may feel very differently — and there is one move that becomes easy to make in that scenario.

Cleveland made a decision it had to make. Training camp was winding down, the season is right over the horizon, and somebody needed to be named the starter. Watson got the nod by default more than by dominance. If the first few weeks go sideways, Sanders could be under center sooner than anyone in that building wants to admit.