Shedeur Sanders set for first Browns start as Deshaun Watson’s status stays unsettled

The Browns are making a quarterback change without fully closing the door on the player Sanders would replace. Shedeur Sanders is set to make his first start of the 2026 season Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, while Deshaun Watson has cleared concussion protocol but is still listed as questionable.

That leaves Cleveland with a rare middle ground: a planned first start for Sanders and uncertainty about whether Watson will even be active. Browns coach Todd Monken said Friday he had not decided whether Watson would dress if he moved through the protocol in time, and he pointed to the practical obstacle that Watson still was not taking team reps.

“He can do individual, he can do some routes, been in meetings, but you’re not able to do any of the team reps, which makes it difficult,” Monken said.

Watson’s limited practice return on Friday came after he sat out the first two sessions of the week. The Browns had already been preparing for the possibility that he would miss the game after he entered concussion protocol following last Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh, and Friday’s update only sharpened the split between medical clearance and game-day readiness.

Sanders, a 2025 fifth-round pick, has barely played this season but now gets the assignment of leading Cleveland in a road game at the Caesars Superdome. He has made two appearances in 2026 and has completed all three of his pass attempts for two yards. Last season, he made seven regular-season starts for the Browns, going 3-4 while completing 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

That history matters because Cleveland is not making this move from a clean slate. Watson beat out Sanders for the job this summer and had given the Browns enough production to help them open 2026 at 5-3. He has also had a season with both highs and strain: back-to-back 300-yard games, five game-winning drives and a league-high 33 sacks. Those numbers explain why the Browns could still view him as their starter once healthy, even as this week’s injury situation forced a change in the immediate plan.

The context around the offense is less flattering. Cleveland gained 319 yards last week in Pittsburgh but scored only six points in a 27-6 loss, which means Sanders steps into a unit that has moved the ball better than its scoreboard output suggests. The Browns also enter Week 9 in third place in the AFC North, behind Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, so Sunday’s game carries division weight even if the quarterback decision itself does not resolve the larger depth-chart question.

If Watson is inactive, Dillon Gabriel would be Sanders’ backup. If Watson is active, the Browns will have to sort out how much they trust a quarterback who has cleared the protocol but still has not been able to do enough team work this week to settle the issue on football terms.

Either way, Cleveland’s most consequential change is already in place. Sanders gets the start, Watson remains in question, and the Browns will open against New Orleans at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.