The Cleveland Browns are one of the few teams in the NFL who are synonymous with quarterback purgatory.
They have fielded 42 different starters since they returned to the league in 1999, with only one of their draft picks at the position being a success.
Cleveland selected Baker Mayfield with the No. 1 overall pick back in 2018, and while he was mostly productive, the team decided to trade him after an injury-riddled 2021 season.
He bounced around on a few different teams, but now the Browns are kicking themselves as Mayfield has found a home with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Sensing that they needed a franchise quarterback expeditiously, the Browns decided to send a historic haul to the Houston Texans to acquire quarterback Deshaun Watson in 2022.
Suffice to say, he regressed tremendously and it is now regarded as one of the worst trades in league history.
Watson suffered his second season-ending injury with the Browns last year after he tore his Achilles early in the season.
Now, he is finally nearing full health, which prompted Cleveland to open his 21-day practice window, giving him the opportunity to return this season.
The Browns have opened the 21-day practice window for QB Deshaun Watson. pic.twitter.com/YOEzQcAYWY
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) December 3, 2025
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Watson will be back with the team next year, which could cause further confusion on the situation surrounding rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
How Browns Retaining Watson Impacts Sanders
The high-profile passer was selected by the Browns in the fifth round of this year’s draft after being projected to go in the first round.
Sanders began the year as the emergency quarterback and has managed to work his way up to being the starter.
The team traded Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals and moved away from fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel after he suffered a concussion a few weeks ago, clearing the way for Sanders to step in.
He’s shown some flashes during his two starts, certainly more than Gabriel, so this move to activate Watson is an interesting one.
His time in Cleveland has been a disaster and the owner has publicly acknowledged that the trade was a mistake, so why reopen an old wound?
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam on the team’s trade for Deshaun Watson: “We took a big swing and miss with Deshaun. We thought we had the quarterback, we didn't and we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him. So we've got to dig ourselves out of that hole. … (the trade) was an entire…
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) March 31, 2025
In a move that seems likely to muddy waters even further, Schefter also said that the Browns aren’t ruling out a return to the field for Gabriel.
It has been more than a quarter-century since Cleveland has had a franchise quarterback — and this certainly isn’t the way to break that trend.
Sanders has looked impressive at times during his first few games, so it makes little sense to revert to options that have proven to be faulty.
