Deshaun Watson will get the first preseason start for the Cleveland Browns, but Mike Florio does not believe that necessarily gives him the edge in the team’s quarterback competition.
Florio, appearing on 92.3 The Fan, contrasted Cleveland’s situation with what he views as a less-than-genuine competition between J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray in Minnesota. He believes Browns coach Todd Monken is still waiting for Watson or Shedeur Sanders to create real separation.
“This truly is a competition and Todd Monken is waiting patiently for someone to declare themselves the winner,” Florio said. “It dawned on me yesterday — it makes sense Deshaun is getting the first start because the game is not at home. It gives Shedeur a great opportunity. Unless Deshaun just blows things away against the Bears, the fans are going to be clamoring for Shedeur to put his best foot forward and take the competition.”
Watson is set to start Saturday against the Chicago Bears on the road, while Sanders is scheduled to start Cleveland’s second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills at Huntington Bank Field.
“Ordinarily, I would think the guy who gets the first start has the inside track,” Florio said. “I just can’t help but wonder whether, under these circumstances, the Browns wanted Shedeur to get the home start, Deshaun to get the road start. And if it was flipped — home first then away — then it’d be Shedeur.”
Browns QB Deshaun Watson Faces Difficult Home Crowd Dynamic
GettyDeshaun Watson #4 and Shedeur Sanders #2 of the Cleveland Browns look to pass during the Cleveland Browns OTA Offseason Workouts at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 20, 2026 in Berea, Ohio.
Watson has not appeared in a game since his Achilles injury against the Cincinnati Bengals in October 2024. Some fans cheered as he was carted off the field, a reaction that drew sharp criticism from several Browns players.
Watson addressed that moment during minicamp in June and said he had moved beyond the emotions surrounding it.
“I can’t control what people support,” Watson said. “That’s their own opinions. I think all I can do is just put out the best person I am, showcase who I am as a person, as a player, as a teammate, and what I represent as an individual.”
Watson would encounter a far different atmosphere in Cleveland than Sanders, who has a sizable and vocal contingent of supporters behind him as he enters his second season.
“I think they want Shedeur to seize the job, and Deshaun continues to be that foil aimed at getting the most out of Shedeur to get him to perform in the practice sessions like he performs under the lights,” Florio said. “This is his opportunity to create the kind of separation Todd Monken has been looking for.”
Browns Preseason Games Will Help Settle QB Competition
The Browns have maintained that the competition remains open, even with Watson getting the first start. Monken said Wednesday that both quarterbacks will get roughly a half of football and hopes to get them an opportunity to run a two-minute drill.
“You have to pick somebody,” Monken said. “I have my reasons for how it’s going to go, and it’s still a competition. 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.”
Watson gets the first chance to make his case against the Bears. But Sanders will have an equally meaningful opportunity a week later, with a home crowd expected to be firmly behind him as the Browns move closer to naming their Week 1 starter.
Cleveland opens the regular season on September 13 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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