Overview
- Watson will make his first regular-season start since Oct. 20, 2024 when he opens for the Browns on Sunday at Jacksonville.
- Head coach Todd Monken chose Watson after the training-camp competition, saying Watson gives the offense the best chance to move the ball and score.
- Shedeur Sanders is expected to be active as the primary backup, preserving an in-game replacement while rookie Taylen Green could still be used in designed packages.
- Watson missed all of 2025 after two right-Achilles surgeries and has played just 19 games since 2021, leaving questions about his recent form and durability.
- Watson enters the season in the final year of a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million deal, the Browns are 8.5-point road underdogs, and his performance will shape Cleveland’s roster choices this year.