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The Cleveland Browns ended speculation on their quarterback situation heading into the 2026 NFL season by naming Deshaun Watson as their starter under center for Week 1. The decision was not exactly a ground-shaking surprise, with Watson entering the offseason as the favorite to win the job over Shedeur Sanders. Watson’s advantage in experience over the former Colorado Buffaloes star signal-caller seemingly worked in his favor. However, many still took issue with Cleveland’s official move on Watson, especially after he called out Browns fans for booing him at home in a preseason game. For now, Watson will be taking charge of the main quarterback duties, while Sanders becomes the chief backup. Browns Head Coach Details Talk With Sanders After The Team’s QB1 Decision Sanders appears to have taken the news of Watson being named QB1, at least based on his reaction when he had a long talk with head coach Todd Monken. “We met this morning for a good long time and all he had was a smile on his face, because he understands what really is in front of him, not really a short-term, maybe long-term decision,” Monken said, via Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN. “I mean, this is like a player: he’s going to work his butt off to get better. And he has already.” Cleveland and its fans can only hope that the team has indeed made the right decision, as unpopular as it is. Watson, who signed a fully guaranteed $230 million contract with the Browns in 2022, has appeared in only 19 games for Cleveland, during which he passed for only 3,365 yards and 19 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. Related content - Giants’ Jameis Winston Reveals John Harbaugh’s Secret Sauce After Preseason Game - Giants’ Jameis Winston Has A Message For ‘Young-School Cats’ After What He Did in Preseason Game - Patriots QB Tommy DeVito’s Agent And Eagles’ Big Dom Catch Heat From Fans After Linking Up Before Preseason Game - Deshaun Watson Seems To Have Taken A Shot At Browns Fans With Schedule Take