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The Cleveland Browns entered last season with one of the busiest quarterback rooms in the NFL.
Sheduer Sanders took over starting quarterback duties in Week 12 last season, and after two more starts, he was named the starter for the remainder of the season. Dillon Gabriel moved to a backup role while Deshaun Watson remained on the physically unable to perform list, even after the team opened its 21-day practice window in December. Watson is still recovering from his latest Achilles injury.
Speaking Tuesday at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Brown general manager Andrew Berry left the door open for Watson to compete with Sanders for the starting job next season.
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Andrew Berry, executive vice president of football operations and general manager of the Cleveland Browns, attends OTA offseason workouts at the CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on June 4, 2025 in Berea, Ohio. (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
Berry cautioned that there is no rush to decide who will be QB1 at the start of next season.
“We won’t have to make that decision anytime soon,” he said. “I think any player we have in this room, we expect him to compete to earn a role. Those two would be no different.”
While Gabriel could be part of the group vying for the starting spot, Berry has already indicated that the team could look to add an experienced quarterback to the roster at some point this offseason.
Sanders took snaps with second-team designation for the majority of the Browns’ minicamp and training camp last year. He went 3-4 as a starter in 2025. Berry is optimistic that Sanders can continue to improve.
“I think the biggest thing we want to see at Shedeur is just continued growth,” Berry said. “I think he grew a lot from Start 1 to Start 7. I think it would definitely be important to play more efficiently, not put the ball in danger as much while still maintaining the ability to produce out of structure and generate explosive plays.”
Andrew Berry, general manager of the Cleveland Browns, speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on February 24, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
The Browns fired Kevin Stefanski in January and brought in Todd Monken, and Berry said he wanted Sanders to acclimate to the new system.
“You’re not going to see all of that in the coming months because we’re not on the field. So the biggest thing he can do is learn the new offense, join the coaching staff once our offseason program starts, continue to work on his body physically and then make progress when we’re on the field.”
Watson has played in just 19 games in the three years since he signed an unprecedented, fully guaranteed $230 million contract with the Browns. Watson would have been owed $46 million next season and would carry the league’s highest salary cap hit in 2026.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson in action during the NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on October 13, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola, file)
Berry confirmed that Watson continues to go through the rehabilitation process. “Deshaun worked really hard, he worked his butt off,” he said. “And like I said, we’re excited to go there in mid-April with all of our players on the team.”
The Browns went 5-12 last season.
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