The Cleveland Browns just opened Deshaun Watson’s practice window and Dillon Gabriel is fully recovered from the concussion he suffered against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11, but Shedeur Sanders remains the starting quarterback heading into a matchup with the Tennessee Titans and No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward.
Sanders was supposed to come off the board relatively soon after Ward, perhaps within the top 10 and certainly in the first round or two, based on the opinions of several prominent NFL draft analysts. Instead, Sanders fell to the fifth round and began the offseason as QB4 in Cleveland. But a couple of trades and injuries later, he found himself in the starting lineup.
Sanders is now 1-1 and has played 10 quarters of professional football. He has looked OK, though far from great. However, both Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano predicted on Wednesday, December 3 that Sanders will get the chance to truly stretch his legs as the team’s starter over the last five games of the year, assuming no injuries or other unforeseen issues get in the way.
“The Browns must find out whether their 2026 starting quarterback is on the current roster,” Fowler wrote. “The body of work through 12 games suggests it’s probably not, but Sanders has a decent runway to give the team something to consider. And my sense is he’ll get the rest of the season to do just that. Gabriel is a good decision-maker whose experience showed up in his six starts, but he projects more as a quality No. 2.”
“If nothing else, Cleveland can come out of this season with some idea whether Gabriel or Sanders can be a solid backup or if one of them is a project the team is willing to continue to work on,” Graziano added.
Deshaun Watson’s Return From Injury Adds New Wrinkle in Browns QB Room
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Gabriel is likely to get the nod should Sanders need to exit any game for any reason.
However, the Browns have three weeks to decide whether to put Watson back on the active roster or sideline him for the remainder of the season. If he does rejoin the team, that begs the question of whether Cleveland might not insert him for a game near the end of the campaign to see where he’s at heading into 2026, which is the final year on his contract.
“Not my focus,” said head coach Kevin Stefanski of Watson getting any action this season. “Really just excited for him to be able to get back out there on the field. I think for any player, when you’re rehabbing, the next step, getting out there on the practice field is a big step.”
Kevin Stefanski’s Time as Browns’ Decision Maker Could End Sooner Than Later
GettyCleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Stefanski may not be in position to make any decisions on Cleveland’s QB, or any other other roster spots for that matter, come next spring.
His name is among those NFL coaches who could be on the hot seat heading into 2026. The Browns have two first-round picks and may look to add another rookie quarterback to the team next April. If Stefanski isn’t the guy, or likely won’t be the guy if he has a bad start next season, it would make sense for the team to move on from him and let his successor make the big choices in the draft and under center.
Stefanski is 43-53 as the Browns’ head coach with two trips to the playoffs on his resumé across six years with the franchise. Cleveland is 1-2 in the postseason during Stefanski’s tenure.
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