Projected Role & Competition
Watson enters the final year of his fully guaranteed $230 million contract. He’s due $46 million, and releasing him would have cost the Browns about $131 million in dead money.
Watson is joined in the QB room by sophomores Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel and sixth-round rookie Taylen Green.
Offseason reporting has Watson and Sanders as the top candidates for the Week 1 starting job, with Watson the early favorite.
“Watson emerged from the Browns voluntary minicamp last week with an edge over Shedeur Sanders in the two-man quarterback competition -- and has the inside track to be named the Browns QB1,” Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot wrote in late April.
This battle figures to continue through training camp. And unless Watson plays significantly better than he has the last few years, expect at least two Browns QBs to see the field this season.
Supporting Cast
The Browns made significant investments on offense this offseason, most notably spending a pair of top-40 draft picks on WRs KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston.
Concepcion (24th overall) broke out as a freshman at North Carolina State in 2023 and led Texas A&M with 61 catches, 919 yards, and 9 TDs last year. He’s position-versatile and especially dangerous after the catch.
Boston (39th overall) is your classic big-bodied outside receiver. The 6’4, 212-pounder averaged 13.7 yards per catch with 20 total TDs over his final two seasons at Washington. With WR Jerry Jeudy also back in the mix, the Browns could at least have an average WR corps this season. That’d be a big step up from last year.
At TE, Cleveland let David Njoku leave but brings back Harold Fannin Jr. off an awesome rookie season. His 72 catches were the seventh-most by a first-year TE in NFL history. Fannin was efficient, too, ranking 12th in yards per route among 38 qualifying TEs.
Cleveland also rebuilt its offensive line after a disastrous 2025. The Browns moved on from longtime starters Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller, Ethan Pocic, and Jack Conklin, replacing them with free agents Tytus Howard, Zion Johnson, and Elgton Jenkins, plus first-round rookie Spencer Fano.
Howard, Johnson, and Jenkins are expected to start. Here’s how they ranked at their respective positions in Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade last year:
- Howard: 14th out of 75
- Johnson: 44th out of 71
- Jenkins: fifth out of 36
Fano is expected to push Dawand Jones out of the starting lineup. A three-year starter at Utah, Fano allowed just 5 pressures and 0 sacks last year, winning the Outland Trophy as college football's top lineman.
This offensive line should improve after ranking near the bottom of the league in most metrics last season.
Coaching & Offensive Scheme
The Browns canned HC Kevin Stefanski and OC Tommy Rees after the 2025 season and replaced them with HC Todd Monken and OC Travis Switzer.
Monken confirmed during his introductory press conference that he'll call the plays. This is his first NFL head-coaching gig, but he has seven seasons of OC experience (three with the Buccaneers, one with the Browns, and three with the Ravens).
Monken’s Ravens teams were run-heavy, due in large part to having QB Lamar Jackson and RB Derrick Henry. But he leaned pass prior to that, with three of his first four offenses ranking higher in pass attempts than rush attempts.
Jameis Winston quarterbacked Monken’s three Bucs offenses, finishing 18th, 14th, and 11th among QBs in fantasy points per game.
Baker Mayfield finished QB26 as Monken’s starter with the 2019 Browns.
Paths to Ceiling
Watson would need to rediscover his Texans form to hit a ceiling this year. We’re not betting on that.
The best-case scenario includes a rebound in passing efficiency to somewhere near league average, plus above-average rushing production. That would make Watson a useful starter in 2-QB and superflex leagues, and potentially a 1-QB spot starter.
Risk Factors
Watson has been one of the least efficient passers in the league since joining the Browns. And that was before he tore his Achilles twice.
He could lose the starting job to Shedeur Sanders in training camp and be a total non-factor in fantasy this year.
