1 of 5 | Shedeur Sanders (2) and Deshaun Watson were competing to be the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback for Week 1. File Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI | License Photo
Aug. 24 (UPI) -- The Cleveland Browns named Deshaun Watson their starting quarterback for Week 1 of the 2026 season, a league source told UPI on Monday.
Watson was competing with Shedeur Sanders for the job. They were both listed as the Browns' first-string quarterback on their first unofficial depth chart this preseason.
Watson started the Browns' preseason opener, a 34-10 loss to the Chicago Bears on Aug. 15 in Chicago. Sanders started for the Browns in their 31-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Saturday in Cleveland.
Watson completed 16 of 27 (59.2%) passes for 162 yards in the Browns' first two preseason games. He threw an interception and did not log a passing score.
