Browns QB room heats up as Bernie Kosar picks Shedeur Sanders over $230M Deshaun Watson
· Yahoo Sports
Browns QB room heats up as Bernie Kosar picks Shedeur Sanders over $230M Deshaun Watson originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Cleveland's quarterback picture going into OTAs has split opinion between the sportsbooks and one of the franchise's most recognizable voices. Stats lean one way, a former Browns signal-caller leans the other, and the rookie at the center of it all is firing off scripture-flavored social posts while the noise builds.
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Bernie Kosar, appearing on Yahoo Sports Daily, threw his weight behind Shedeur Sanders rather than Deshaun Watson, framing the rookie's struggles last year as a roster problem more than a talent problem.
"For Shedeur to come in as a rookie with a really limited talent roster around him offensively, he certainly made plays," Kosar said. "He deserves to be in this mix and I wouldn't be surprised to see Shedeur get this opportunity early, if he doesn't come out as the game 1 starter."
The numbers behind Kosar's case sit in Cleveland's offensive ranking. The Browns closed 2025 ranked 31st in scoring and 30th in total yards, finishing 5-12, with Sanders responsible for three of those victories during his run as a starter.
He posted 1,400 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, adding 169 rushing yards and a score. Chris Pownall of Yardbarker pinned the rookie's modest output on that same broken offense. Head coach Todd Monken has stated the QB1 job belongs to whoever wins OTAs, minicamp, and training camp outright.
Watson's contract weight and a cryptic Sanders post complicate the race
If Kosar's read favors Sanders, the financial gravity behind Watson tells a different story inside the building. His five-year, $230 million contract, signed in 2022, hangs over every personnel decision, even after legal issues, inconsistent availability, and a ruptured Achilles tendon that cost him the entire 2025 season.
Reports indicate he's healthy enough to suit up this year, forcing the front office to weigh sunk costs against on-field reality.
His Cleveland resume reads thin for the money. Watson has played 19 games across four seasons, posting a 9-10 record, a 61.2% completion rate, 19 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
Sanders, by contrast, completed 56.6% of his throws and went 3-4 as a starter. Neither set of numbers screams franchise quarterback, which is exactly why the competition stays genuinely open rather than scripted.
Neither set of numbers screams franchise quarterback, which is why Cleveland's front office is essentially placing a calculated bet on whichever arm survives camp.
The off-field temperature is rising too. A few days back, Sanders posted a cryptic message on Instagram amid the swirl:
"Think about a person's opinion. In the grand scheme of life, it means nothing. We often give opinions power when we react to them and make them valuable. Why expect anything different from a modern culture that doesn't keep God at the forefront of daily actions?"
OTAs open May 19. The room also includes Dillon Gabriel and Taylen Green, though the real fight narrows to Watson, Sanders, and Gabriel, with Green viewed as a developmental long shot.