Deshaun Watson has not appeared in an NFL game since tearing his Achilles during the 2024 season. Now healthy, he enters 2026 facing the most consequential year of his professional career.
According to a report from Yahoo Sports citing Pro Football Focus, Watson is among the NFL players with the most at stake this season. He is competing with Shedeur Sanders for the starting quarterback job in Cleveland and is in the final year of his contract with the Browns.
PFF analyst Bradley Locker was direct in his assessment. "The Browns are granting Watson a chance to be the team's QB1 in 2026, but the 30-year-old may not have many further opportunities if he's poor yet again," Locker wrote.
Watson has not found consistent footing since arriving in Cleveland in 2022. Injuries have limited his availability across multiple seasons, and his production has not matched what the Browns expected when they traded heavily to acquire him and signed him to a fully guaranteed $230 million deal. After tearing his Achilles in 2024, he then suffered another setback during recovery that kept him out for all of 2025.
Early offseason reports indicate Watson currently holds the edge over Sanders in the quarterback competition heading into training camp. If he holds the job and plays well, it could revive a career that has stalled badly since his arrival in Cleveland. If he does not, questions about whether he can remain a starter in the NFL will only grow louder.
With his contract expiring after the season, Watson has no room left for a quiet year. Whatever happens in 2026 will likely define how his time with the Browns is remembered and whether another team decides he is worth a future investment.
Training camp opens this summer.
