NFL Insider Tom Pelissero on Odd Deshaun Watson Wins Browns’ QB Competition

Tom Pelissero would be stunned. Asked about the unusual scenario where Deshaun Watson actually wins the Browns quarterback job and keeps it, the NFL insider told Rich it would rank among the most shocking developments in the league over the past decade. Not the part where Watson starts in 2026, which Pelissero said would not really be a surprise, but the idea that Watson parlays that into being the franchise quarterback, getting re-signed in 2027, and landing another deal in Cleveland.

The math is what makes the scenario so strange. Watson was a very good player early in his career, Pro Bowl caliber, the kind of quarterback the Texans paid. Since then, Pelissero noted, he has played roughly 21 games over the last five seasons combined. Suspension, a de facto suspension in his final year in Houston, and a series of injuries including multiple Achilles tears that wiped out all of 2025 have kept him off the field. As Pelissero put it, there is not a lot of precedent for a guy missing one season, much less the better part of five, and coming back to perform at a high level.

Still, he left the door cracked. The last game Watson played before his 2023 shoulder injury against the Ravens, the one where his shoulder was split in half, was probably the best he had played since his Houston days. So there may well still be something in there. What would truly startle Pelissero is the Browns doubling down and re-signing him right when they are finally set to get his cash, if not his cap, since tens of millions in salary cap charges still stretch into the future.

Context matters here, and Cleveland's situation is messy. Pelissero framed the Browns as roughly entering year two of a five-year organizational reset, one accelerated by the Myles Garrett trade. They hold a stockpile of draft picks, including two first-rounders in 2027, and they still do not know who their quarterback is. Watson's contract expires after this season. Shedeur Sanders showed some growth as a starter last year but has a long way to go entering year two. Dylan Gabriel, Pelissero said, just had someone yank his jersey out of his locker, not a great sign for his chance to compete.

With those assets and a 2027 quarterback class that is supposed to be strong, Pelissero sees the natural path. New head coach Todd Monken, who has a track record with quarterbacks, plays everybody this year and figures out whether anything is worth harnessing. If not, Cleveland clears the decks and starts over in 2027.