Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson did not play in 2025 while recovering from a torn Achilles.
But he remains with the club and is still under contract through next season.
While Cleveland needs a new coach, the club could, in theory, play Watson at quarterback if he’s healthy enough to do so.
Is Watson in the team’s plans for 2026?
"[F]irst, I’ll say we’re very pleased with how Deshaun went through and attacked his rehab this past year, how he engaged with the team, what he did in the meeting rooms,” General Manager Andrew Berry said in his Monday press conference. “Very pleased with the progress that he made in that regard.
“Look, I can never predict the future, but right now we do anticipate him being on the 2026 team. But we have a long way to go before we get to that point with any player.”
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam admitted back at the league meeting last March that the team took “a big swing and miss” with the Watson trade.
If Watson does in fact end up being a part of the team in 2026, it will be interesting to see how Cleveland’s new coach handles a potential competition between Watson, Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, and any other quarterback the club acquires over the course of the offseason.
