Deshaun Watson to Start Browns’ Preseason Opener, Shedeur Sanders Gets Week 2

Deshaun Watson will start Cleveland’s preseason opener Saturday against the Chicago Bears, the Browns announced Wednesday, handing the veteran his first game action since he tore his Achilles during the 2024 season. Shedeur Sanders will get the reverse assignment the following week, starting against the Buffalo Bills as Cleveland’s quarterback competition edges toward a decision.

For Watson, it’s a checkpoint nearly two years in the making. He hasn’t taken a live snap since October 2024, when two separate Achilles ruptures wiped out most of two seasons.

“I’m super excited,” Watson said, according to the team’s website. “All the hard work that I put in with the training staff, with my team, my personal team, to get to this stage has been tremendous for me. So, I’m super excited for those opportunities and can’t wait for it.”

Watson is expected to play the first half Saturday and see a two-minute drill before giving way to the rest of Cleveland’s quarterback room. Sanders will follow the same script against Buffalo on Aug. 22.

Outside Noise Grows Louder

The decision to start Watson first hasn’t gone over well nationally. Former NFL quarterback Chris Simms spent much of this week arguing Cleveland should already be handing the job to Sanders outright, calling continued reps for Watson pointless, according to ClutchPoints. ESPN analyst and former NFL executive Mike Tannenbaum raised similar questions about why Cleveland would prioritize starting reps for Watson over its younger passer this late in camp.

Watson, 30, has had a difficult run in Cleveland since the Browns acquired him in a blockbuster 2022 trade and signed him to a fully guaranteed $230 million deal. A season-ending shoulder injury in 2023 was followed by the first Achilles tear in 2024, then a second rupture during his recovery. He appeared in just one game last season before the setback ended his year again.

Sanders, meanwhile, took over as Cleveland’s starter for the final seven games of 2025 as a rookie, throwing seven touchdowns against 10 interceptions and posting a 68.1 passer rating for a team that finished 5-12. It wasn’t a flawless stretch, but it was enough to make him the fan favorite entering this summer’s competition.

Monken Won’t Tip His Hand

Browns head coach Todd Monken has pushed back repeatedly on the idea that the QB battle is already decided, even as Watson has taken the bulk of first-team practice reps in recent days.

“I have my reasons for how it’s going to go, and it’s still a competition,” Monken said. “We’re excited to watch guys practice today, let alone on Saturday, and then next week against Buffalo, and we’ll get a chance to see them both. Every week we’ll assess it. It’ll be a little bit more difficult with the player that doesn’t play as much this week or the other quarterbacks, right? We’ll be able to assess the quarterback that started and how he played and when the other quarterbacks came in and then the opposite will be next week against Buffalo.”

The plan, in other words, is to give each quarterback a controlled look under game conditions — first half of one preseason game apiece, plus a two-minute situation — before comparing notes. Monken has said he expects a clearer picture after both games, with a joint practice against Buffalo the week of Aug. 20 adding another data point before Cleveland opens its regular season against Jacksonville on Sept. 13.

Whether Monken’s evaluation model holds up against the pressure campaign from national media remains to be seen. But for now, the Browns are letting the two quarterbacks settle it the way position battles are supposed to get settled — on the field, one series at a time.