When the Cleveland Browns named Deshaun Watson as their Week 1 starter for 2026, there was an immediate wave of criticism pouring down on the franchise’s decision. Few people could make sense of why Watson was being given another chance, and the most common assessment was that this will end in disaster.
That belief was essentially shouted from the mountaintop during Cleveland’s final preseason game. While Watson didn’t play in the exhibition, he was a frequent topic of the broadcast. During the third quarter of the game, former quarterback and current analyst Ryan Fitzpatrick joined the booth, and assessed Cleveland’s QB room by saying, “Once [Deshaun Watson] fails, Shedeur (Sanders) is going to jump into this thing, and he's going to be the guy. And this city is going to be behind him.”
Fellow analyst Kirk Herbstreit followed up for clarity, asking Fitzpatrick if he thinks Watson is going to fail. The former quarterback responded matter-of-factly, saying, “Yeah, it’s gonna happen.”
Ryan Fitzpatrick is convinced Deshaun Watson will fail as Browns starter
Fitzpatrick supported his claim by explaining that Cleveland has a young offense, with a bunch of new guys, so it’s likely that the unit struggles this season. Because of that, the former QB expects to see Sanders this year, and wouldn’t be surprised if Dillon Gabriel started games as well.
While this was a brutal assessment for a former player to deliver on the air during a nationally televised game, it’s the same assumption that most people are making about Watson. Since he was named starter, the most common conversation has been when is Sanders likely to start.
Many fans and media members have even predicted Sanders could start the Browns’ Week 3 home opener, meaning the franchise will give up on Watson’s comeback attempt after just two games. That speaks to how little faith people outside the Browns' building have in Watson.
Fitzpatrick, who played under Browns head coach Todd Monken when they were both with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, gave a thorough breakdown of Watson and Sanders on the Fitz & Whit podcast. The former quarterback explained that he understands why Watson is opening the season as the starter because as a veteran, Watson is naturally a better operator of the offense.
However, after watching the most recent regular-season film of both quarterbacks, Fitzpatrick pointed out a lot of things that Watson struggles with that will limit his ceiling as a starter. Sanders, on the other hand, is a work in progress, but naturally does some things well that Watson doesn’t, and is improving in other areas.
That’s why Ryan Fitzpatrick is convinced that Deshaun Watson only has so many games before he’ll be forced to hand things over to Shedeur Sanders.
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