Browns QB competition winner predicted way-too-early by NFL insider
Even before the NFL Draft, one NFL insider thinks he knows who will start Week 1 for the Browns at quarterback...
It has been two seasons of unbearable quarterback play from the Cleveland Browns , and at this point, it looks like 2026 could be more of the same. Currently, the Browns roster only Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson, and Dillon Gabriel in their quarterback room. The team is likely to add one more young name to the roster, either via trade or the NFL Draft, by the start of training camp.
However, as it stands, the team is set to host one of the more lackluster quarterback competitions we've seen in quite some time. Well, since 2017 at least, when the Browns trotted out four measly quarterbacks in a competition. One NFL insider, however, thinks he knows who the front-runner to be Cleveland's Week 1 starting quarterback is.
Who has the edge in race for Browns QB1? NFL Network's Ian Rapoport has stated that he believes Deshaun Watson will be the Browns' Week 1 starter in 2026. Appearing on the Rich Eisen Show , here is what Rapoport had to say on Watson and the Browns' quarterback battle: "If I had to guess, and these are guesses not reports...
my guess is Deshaun Watson... When he's been healthy, he's been for sure good enough to be a starter. And there are games, like when he broke his shoulder...