The Cleveland Browns have said that their quarterback situation is a wide open competition and while training camp is still months away, one NFL insider believes there’s a favorite for the job already.
Mike Garafolo of NFL Network made an appearance on ESPN Cleveland and reported that Deshaun Watson is in “pole position” to win the Browns starting job.
“Now there will probably be some kind of open competition that they’ll have throughout the summer. The Browns have done that before. They had one last year — a four-way competition last year in training camp for the Browns, so I would expect that to be the way that it goes. But you’re paying (Watson) anyway. He’s on the roster. He was previously an accomplished quarterback. There’s been a lot that’s happened off the field. I understand that. But to me, Deshaun Watson might even be in the pole position at this point to be the Browns’ starter for this upcoming season.”
At this point, the reason Watson remains on the Browns’ roster is well known, and it has nothing to do with his talent. His contract carries an unavoidable $131.1 million dead-cap hit, which will keep him tethered to the team until 2027.
The Browns hired former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken this past offseason and while many believe that Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel would be at the forefront of the competition, but it seems like Deshaun Watson has the early edge.
There’s still a lot of time before Week 1 and things can change.
