The Cleveland Browns entered last season with a big need for a quarterback. Now, 17 games later, things haven’t changed in the slightest. Shedeur Sanders gives some fans a glimmer of hope, but his rookie season wasn’t that encouraging.
To make things worse, there aren’t many — if any — feasible options for this team in the offseason. The Browns need to clear plenty of money from their salary cap to make some moves, and it’s not like there’s a can’t-miss candidate in the NFL Draft or in free agency.
That’s why team insider Mary Kay Cabot believes the Browns may not have much of a choice this season. When asked about the quarterback room, she predicted they would roll with the same guys they already have on the roster.
"It's not a great year, once again, to be needing a quarterback, and unless they have something up their sleeve that we do not know about, I think that they are potentially going to be looking at Deshaun Watson vs. Shedeur Sanders," Cabot said on the Orange and Brown Talk podcast.
Browns may be stuck with same QB dilemma all over again
Dillon Gabriel will probably be the third-string/emergency quarterback, with either Watson or Sanders getting the nod. Regardless of who wins the battle, Todd Monken will probably keep the QB1 on a short leash, with the backup waiting to get his turn.
There’s also a chance that Monken will try to find and develop a quarterback on Day 2 or 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft. He coached Miami’s Carson Beck when they were with the Georgia Bulldogs.
That’s not the most exciting outlook by any means, and it’s hard to feel much better about the team’s playoff chances with that type of quarterback room. That said, the Browns hired an offensive guru who has made the most of his personnel at all of his previous stops.
The Browns will rebuild the offensive line this offseason, and they have a budding star in Quinshon Judkins at running back. They will most likely be a run-heavy offense next season, which worked perfectly for Monken when he was in charge of the Baltimore Ravens.
The bar isn’t high, but this team should do better on offense next season, regardless of the quarterback situation. Also, there’s always a chance that Sanders will take a leap in his second year in the league, just like many young quarterbacks have done in the past.
Whatever the case, it looks like the Browns are bracing themselves to go after their quarterback of the future in 2027, be it in free agency or in a much deeper draft class.