The Browns' quarterback battle is the lone one left among NFL teams, but it seems to be over after one week of the preseason. Head coach Todd Monken announced last week that Deshaun Watson would start the first preseason game while Shedeur Sanders would start the second. While that remains the case, developments since then have led one NFL insider to see this as a battle the veteran has already won. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler discussed the quarterback battle and where the dust settled coming out of Saturday's preseason game. He thought that Watson seems "well positioned right now" to eventually be named the starter coming out of the second preseason game. He explained, "He has some momentum, not all of the momentum, but he has had a good last week of practice, so he took that momentum into the game. And, like Herm (Edwards) said, he was accurate. So he seems well positioned right now."
“He seems well positioned right now,” - @JFowlerESPN on Deshaun Watson in the Browns QB battle. Fowler said he anticipates the Browns naming a starting QB after the 2nd preseason game. pic.twitter.com/Gpd1tnwlav — ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 16, 2026 Fowler painted a complete picture, though, not just one for Watson fans or believers. He pointed out, and was right to, that this coming week will be massive for the entire process that Monken and his staff are undertaking to name a starter. He added, "I would caution, though, that the next six to seven days in Cleveland are huge. . .they have a joint practice with the Buffalo Bills. Those are big now, as far as determining who you want to start. And then you got the second preseason gamer, Shedeur Sanders, will be the starter. He will get his first half of action to try to stake his claim. He's made it interesting throughout." By this time next week, we could have a name to expect to see under center for the Browns when they play the Jaguars in Jacksonville in Week 1. This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Insider suggests Deshaun Watson is 'well positioned' to be the starter