As expected, Cleveland Browns starting quarterback Deshaun Watson was not spotted by reporters at the start of Thursday’s practice as he continues to work through the NFL’s concussion protocol.
On Wednesday, Browns head coach Todd Monken was careful not to rule Watson out for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints, but the momentum appears to be building behind backup Shedeur Sanders getting the nod for Week 9.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported on Good Morning Football that Watson’s situation “almost certainly means he is out for Sunday,” and that “Shedeur Sanders is expected to make his first start of the 2026 season."
Browns offensive coordinator Travis Switzer may have inadvertently fanned those flames during his Thursday afternoon media availability.
“I’m just excited to see him go play and hopefully let it rip, which I think he’ll do,” Switzer said when asked about Sanders. “He did it yesterday in practice. Go lead. Be in command, which I think he’s grown tremendously in that area really since we got here.”
Everything is pointing toward Shedeur Sanders making his first start of 2026
Switzer later added a “if it were to be him" on Sanders, as the team has not yet updated Watson’s chances of playing on Sunday.
But with Sanders leading the offense in practice for the second straight day, his chances of starting against the Saints are starting to feel like a foregone conclusion.
Switzer added another notable comment on Sanders: Cleveland’s young backup quarterback acquitted himself well during Wednesday’s practice.
“I thought he had a good day,” Switzer said. “His urgency, his ability to command and operate was good. We were getting in and out of the huddle pretty well, which is something we emphasized. So, yeah, I think overall he let it rip. He made some good throws, checked it down when he should. Overall, I think it was a pretty good day for him.”
The Browns have had several players enter the NFL’s five-step return-to-play protocol, with only center Elgton Jenkins missing a game due to the Browns playing on Thursday Night Football that week. KC Concepcion, Grant Delpit, and Tytus Howard were all able to get cleared in time to make their next start, but Monken acknowledged that it’s harder for a quarterback to miss practice time and still play in the game.
“I just mean in terms of the mental aspect of it, just the position itself, I think is much more difficult,” Monken said. “If you’re not able to take the team reps and the throwing reps, how do you get the timing with your receivers? I’m just saying it’s very difficult that way.”
Adding to the momentum behind Sanders is Cleveland’s unique quarterback situation. During his first spring program as head coach of the Browns, Monken said that he viewed both Watson and Sanders as NFL starters. He then backed that up by having the two players split first-team reps almost evenly until Watson was named the starter on Aug. 24, ahead of the team’s final preseason game.
“I think Monk mentioned this the other day,” Switzer said, “but when you’re going through training camp — and really all the spring, we were splitting those reps as we were going through all the installs — we were able to see him in a lot more reps than probably a typical backup would be because obviously we were finding out who our quarterback was going to be. So hopefully he can review back to some of those things, if it were to be him [on Sunday], and let it rip, play with confidence.”
At this point, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Watson carry a questionable designation into the weekend. That would almost certainly be for gamesmanship purposes, though.
The Saints have struggled defensively this season and they don’t have any real film to study on Sanders operating Monken’s offense. Even if it’s just a one-week reprieve, the Browns could have an advantage if it’s indeed Sanders in the huddle on Sunday.
It is definitely trending that way at the moment.
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