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Cleveland's quarterback room is generating more noise than clarity this offseason, and the Browns appear content letting the competition play out rather than forcing a resolution.
Beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer has firmly pushed back on reports that the club was preparing to move Shedeur Sanders ahead of training camp, and equally dismissed suggestions that head coach Todd Monken had privately settled on Deshaun Watson as the Week 1 starter.
Per Cabot, both quarterbacks will carry legitimate shots at the starting job well into August, with the Browns planning to open camp July 29 before hosting Buffalo in a preseason matchup Aug. 22 and wrapping the exhibition slate against New England on Aug. 27.
Sanders actually trimmed the advantage Watson held during the final stretch of OTAs and minicamp, which gives Cleveland legitimate reason to run a genuine competition rather than a predetermined one.
Cabot noted the Bills' joint practice on Aug. 20 won't settle anything either, since live-game contact is off the table. The Browns need to watch both quarterbacks absorb pressure, escape the pocket, and thread throws into coverage before any honest evaluation is possible. Worth noting: the Browns picked Sanders in the fifth round of the 2025 draft, which makes dealing him before he's even seen a preseason snap a difficult sell internally.
Brissett Trade Proposal Frames What a Post-Sanders Cleveland Backfield Could Actually Look Like
Bleacher Report analyst Kristopher Knox floated a three-team scenario that neatly captures the Browns' dilemma. Under the proposal, Cleveland would ship Sanders and a fourth-round selection to Arizona, receiving Jacoby Brissett and a third-round pick from New England in return.
The Cardinals would gain a developmental arm to push Carson Beck, while the Patriots would add receiver Kayshon Boutte to a receiving group that already includes Brown, Wilson, and Romeo Doubs.
Brissett's value to Cleveland would be purely functional: a reliable veteran bridge option who stabilizes the position heading into the 2027 draft cycle without pretending to be a franchise answer.
He's currently in a contract standoff with Arizona, which is what makes the fit plausible. Cabot acknowledged a scenario in which the Browns revisit the trade market for Sanders after August, specifically if Watson wins the starting role outright.
However, the organization is not soliciting offers at this stage. Meanwhile, Brendan Sorsby, whose NCAA gambling violations at Indiana led to a supplemental draft push, won't enter the league until 2027 at the earliest, and Cleveland was unlikely to pursue him regardless.
The Browns' front office has signaled satisfaction with their current quarterback depth, though Cabot noted internal concern around Sorsby's recent completion of a 35-day residential treatment program.
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