Browns' QB situation takes another turn as Deshaun Watson finds his footing

DESHAUN WATSON JOGGED toward the tunnel leading to the Cleveland Browns' locker room at Huntington Bank Field surrounded by cheers last Sunday -- a stark contrast to the loud boos he received the last time he played in front of the hometown fans. Waiting outside the locker room for the Browns' starting quarterback was general manager Andrew Berry, who smiled broadly. The two shared a handshake and hug. With Berry's arm around Watson's shoulder, they turned, ready to celebrate with the team. The sequence leading to that scene and the change in reception from fans was a game-winning touchdown drive to defeat the Carolina Panthers 21-18 in Week 3. The win marked Watson's second fourth-quarter comeback in as many weeks, which seemed implausible after a late August preseason game, when Watson struggled in the second half, was loudly booed, and later lashed out at fans in the postgame news conference. That preseason discontent seemed like the final chapter for a player who received a five-year, fully guaranteed $230 million contract in March 2022 but was crumbling under high expectations in Cleveland. Through four seasons, 19 mostly underwhelming performances were sandwiched between an 11-game suspension after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions, and multiple significant injuries since Cleveland traded three first-round picks to the Houston Texans for Watson. Entering the 2026 season, the consensus view among Cleveland spectators was that the Browns might finally part ways with Watson at the end of the regular season, taking an exorbitant $86 million dead cap hit while possibly turning to the 2027 NFL draft -- with the Browns holding two first-round picks -- to solve the franchise's perpetual quarterback conundrum. Such a conclusion would render playing Watson pointless. Instead, Watson emerged as the starter following a monthslong competition. His late-game performances and the Browns' 2-1 start have added another wrinkle to the NFL's most confounding quarterback dynamic: Cleveland enters its "Thursday Night Football" home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video) with first place in the AFC North on the line. "[Watson] is playing pretty well. At least give him enough of a sample size to see what he can do," an NFC executive told ESPN. While team sources indicated that Watson's performance through three games hasn't convinced the Browns to consider Watson the long-term answer, Cleveland's surprising start has shifted the conversation inside the building to whether the 31-year-old passer and the Browns can build short-term momentum. "I feel like I have a lot of football left in my game, in my career, and that's how I approach the game," Watson said last week. "That's how I approach my preparation on and off the field. I feel like I'm 10 years in, but still got a lot of football to play, definitely for myself." THE BROWNS HAVE selected three quarterbacks in the past two drafts -- 2025 picks Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel (who is currently on injured reserve), and 2026 sixth-round pick Taylen Green -- but first-year coach Todd Monken named Watson the winner of a quarterback competition with Sanders that stretched from offseason workouts in April into the first month of training camp in August. Monken faced questions about his decision to tab Watson as QB1 despite an inconsistent training camp and preseason in which he threw more than a dozen interceptions. Monken explained that Watson's full body of work, experience, and athleticism gave Cleveland's offense the best chance to succeed. He added that he expected Watson to improve with more reps and that the QB conversation wouldn't be a weekly query. However, with two road games to begin the season before the home opener, Watson's first two starts since tearing his Achilles in October 2024 almost felt like an audition to keep the starting job. When Watson struggled in a 34-10 Week 1 blowout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Week 2 matchup against former Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looked like a potential inflection point for a QB change and an opportunity to evaluate Sanders. Monken continued to back Watson, who delivered one of his best moments in a Browns uniform in Tampa. Watson rallied Cleveland from a 10-point second-half deficit and threw the game-winning touchdown in a 23-19 victory, securing his first win as a starter since September 2024. Watson's second game-winning drive this season against the Panthers seemed to vindicate Monken's decision-making, and it gave the quarterback more runway to remain Cleveland's starter. Sanders, who entered in for one play on the game-winning drive after Watson took a big hit, remains the backup. Monken has said he wants the Browns' quarterback play to reach a level in which he doesn't have to face weekly questions about who will start. "Do I love dealing with it every week? Of course not," Monken said two weeks ago. "You guys keep asking, which is a lot of fun, but the reality is, of course. Of course. And I'm happy for Deshaun, the way he's played, and I expect improvement, and I expect continued improvement. "There's a lot of football left in him; he just hasn't played in a while. And learning our system and trying to get him consistent with his drops and his reads is part of the process. He's like every player. I see him as a young player. I know people don't want to see it that way, and I haven't been here, but I see him as still a very young player that is going to continue to grow." The QB questions have ceased -- at least for a week -- with production from Watson that has been modest but also clutch in key moments. Watson has completed 68.3% of his passes for 587 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. His 62.3 QBR, his highest single-season mark in Cleveland, ranks 15th out of 30 qualifying quarterbacks. Watson, though, has been at his best in high-leverage situations; his fourth-quarter QBR rises to 95.1, the fifth-highest mark in the league. Despite two surgeries to repair a torn right Achilles tendon, Watson has used his legs effectively; his 105 rushing yards are the fifth most among quarterbacks. Team sources said Watson's ability to move past negative plays and stretches instead of compounding them has stood out. Watson's recent play still hasn't matched the standard of a contract with a fully guaranteed value exceeded by only two players: Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen and Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott. Team sources acknowledged that expectations for Watson were uncertain after his 22-month layoff. Nonetheless, he has delivered his best two-game stretch in a Cleveland uniform. It's the second time Watson, who has an 11-11 record as the Browns' starter, has won consecutive games since joining Cleveland. "There's never a scenario where you pull a healthy QB you're paying $40-46 million a year within the first six weeks of the season to tank," the aforementioned NFC executive said. "Especially if [the team is] showing signs of life. If it's Thanksgiving and they stink and Watson stinks, then that's different." WITH A DEFENSE returning to form under new coordinator Mike Rutenberg, the big question in Cleveland is whether Watson's play is sustainable and can be improved. The Browns have won their past four home games against the Steelers, but none has come with Watson under center. Watson is 0-3 against the Steelers in his career, including two games as a member of the Browns in which he completed 59.4% of his passes and threw three touchdowns with three interceptions. While Watson has delivered in late-game moments, he and the Browns' offense, which ranks 24th in scoring (18 points per game), have started slowly in each game this season. Watson has thrown for 334 yards in the first three quarters of Cleveland's three games, and his 30.9 QBR before the final quarter ranks 27th. He has played a risk-averse brand of football, with an average depth of target (6.2) that is a career low and the third-lowest mark in the league. His big plays late in games have been preceded by erratic stretches; he has the NFL's 13th-highest off-target rate (16%). While Monken has praised Watson's performance, he has also said the offense needs more production, as it hasn't reached 300 total yards in a game yet. "We haven't played our best football yet on offense, so we've got a ways to go, but we're going to continue to fight," Monken said. PUBLICLY, THE BROWNS have mostly maintained a neutral stance on Watson's future in Cleveland. "There's no need to make any decisions about the future right now," Berry said of the quarterback situation at the beginning of training camp in late July. "We'll let it play out and figure it out as we go." Team co-owner Jimmy Haslam made blunt comments in March 2025 that the team "took a big swing-and-miss" in acquiring Watson. He has walked back those comments in recent months. When asked in July if it was possible for Watson to play his way into a new deal, Haslam said: "I think there are all kinds of possibilities out there -- so, yes." Watson has said he would be open to a contract extension, but such talk is premature. More wins, and being the driving force behind the team's success, would be needed for it to become a legitimate discussion by season's end. Watson's 36.6 QBR since making his debut with the Browns still ranks 33rd out of 34 qualifying quarterbacks, ahead of only Tennessee's Cam Ward. Cleveland's two 2027 first-round picks, its own and the Los Angeles Rams' pick acquired in the Myles Garrett trade, remain prized capital that could be used to target a quarterback and add to a young, talented core. For now, Watson remains the starter and at the center of a perplexing dynamic with fans and the franchise. "My main focus is playing clean football, having an opportunity for us to be able to win the game," Watson said. "That's all I'm locked in on. I'm not getting too caught up in all the antics in the media and things like that. I got to make sure I lock in. This is a very humbling league, and you got to make sure that you're locked in one game at a time. Keep the main thing the main thing, and that's playing football." ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler contributed to this story.