There appears to be no quarterback controversy for the Cleveland Browns.
Shedeur Sanders was just one completion away from giving the Browns a wild overtime win over the New Orleans Saints this past weekend, as Deshaun Watson missed the Week 9 contest.
However, Watson will recapture his spot as the team’s starting quarterback on Sunday.
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Shedeur Sanders watches as Deshaun Watson runs a drill during a voluntary veteran minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus in Berea, Ohio, on April 21, 2026. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
Watson entered concussion protocol last week and was actually cleared ahead of the game against the Saints, but the Browns rocked with Sanders anyway.
The Colorado alum had impressive numbers, going 19-for-31 for 297 passing yards and two touchdowns – a 64-yard score to KC Concepcion in the fourth quarter and a 39-yard catch-and-run to Harold Fannin Jr. in overtime.
Shedeur Sanders finished 19-of-31 for 297 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in Cleveland’s 23-22 overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints. (Getty Images)
Cleveland went for a two-point conversion and the win, but the New Orleans pass rush immediately pressured Sanders. He scrambled to his right before throwing an incomplete pass intended for Denzel Boston, ending the game.
Watson is in the final year of his dreaded five-year, $230 million contract that the Browns have all but admitted to regretting. Sanders, once thought of as a top-five pick, fell to the fifth round of last year’s NFL Draft and entered the season as the third-string quarterback behind Joe Flacco and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel.
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Flacco was traded, and Gabriel suffered a concussion, bringing Sanders into the fold, but when he won his first NFL start, he was the starter for the remainder of the season.
Watson, however, returned from a torn Achilles, and it never quite seemed like his job as a starter was in doubt, as long as he was healthy.
In his eight games – his most since 2020 – Watson has completed 65.5% of his passes for 1,806 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions.
Cleveland Browns quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders walk onto the field before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Nov. 1, 2026. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
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Sanders is 3-5 as a starter – he threw for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 picks in his eight games last year (seven starts).
OutKick’s Dan Zaksheske contributed to this report.
