Deshaun Watson hasn’t taken a snap since 2024 and didn’t play at all in 2025, but his name still sits right in the middle of Cleveland’s quarterback plans for 2026.
Not because he’s the future. Not because he’s the favorite to start. But because he is still under contract, being paid like a franchise quarterback, and expected to be on the roster.
General manager Andrew Berry recently confirmed that the Browns anticipate Watson being part of the 2026 team and said the organization has been encouraged by his approach to rehab, preparation, and daily involvement while sidelined. That alone keeps Watson in the conversation — whether fans want to hear it or not.
Cleveland already has Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel on the roster. Both are young, both are under evaluation, and both will be part of the competition heading into camp.
Because of that, the Browns are not in a position where they have to reach for another quarterback in the upcoming draft. And honestly — they shouldn’t.
Cleveland is sitting on ten draft picks. That’s a rare amount of draft capital, and it gives the front office a chance to reshape the roster in a much more meaningful way than just tossing another quarterback into an already crowded room.
Instead of forcing a QB pick, the Browns could use those selections to add real support: offensive linemen, receivers, tight ends, defensive help — pieces that make life easier for whoever ends up winning the job.
Whether that quarterback is Watson, Sanders, Gabriel, or someone else down the road, the roster around him still needs help.
Watson is entering the final true year of his fully guaranteed $230 million contract. His 2026 base salary is $46 million, but restructures have pushed his projected cap hit to more than $80 million — the largest single-season cap number in NFL history.
Cleveland can shuffle the money around, but it can’t escape the commitment. The Browns are financially tied to at least seeing what Watson has left before closing the book.
Owner Jimmy Haslam has already admitted the trade was a “big swing and miss,” but that doesn’t change the reality — Watson is still on the books, and that makes him part of the plan.
Watson hasn’t played a full season since 2020. Between legal issues, suspensions, shoulder surgery, and two Achilles injuries, his career has been on pause for nearly half a decade.
By the time 2026 arrives, he will be 30 years old — and a complete unknown.
Watson may not be the starter. He may not be the future.
But he will be in the building, in the quarterback room, and in the competition — and the Browns will finally get answers.
With Sanders and Gabriel already in place, and with ten draft picks to reshape the roster, Cleveland is in a position to do something smarter than panic.
They don’t need another quarterback yet.