Browns news: Shedeur Sanders' Week 1 status after losing QB1 job to Deshaun Watson

The Cleveland Browns are just a few days away from kicking off their 2026 NFL season. Recently, head coach Todd Monken announced that veteran Deshaun Watson would be the team's starting quarterback, winning the job over rising second-year man Shedeur Sanders .

Recently, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reported that Monken "Said he anticipates Shedeur Sanders being the No. 2 QB on Sunday," on X, formerly Twitter.

It's certainly not off the table that Sanders could see some reps at quarterback for the Browns this year.

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For one, Watson is coming off a devastating injury he suffered during the 2024 season that caused him to miss all of last year, so it's unclear how well his body will hold up now that he is back in the NFL grind.

Furthermore, the Browns cycled through two quarterbacks last season– Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel –before Sanders finally got his turn as the team's starter. Although he didn't exactly blow away expectations when he reached that point, it still goes to show how quickly things can change from week to week in the NFL.

Not many fans expect the Browns to compete for much of anything except for a top draft pick this year, with the team having traded superstar Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams earlier this offseason.

However, if Sanders were to get another opportunity to play this year and showcase some improvement from last season, it would at least give the Browns some beacon of hope for the future.

Cleveland is set to kick off its season on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road.