(Photo credit: Lisa Scalfaro / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

A competition to be the QB1 in Cleveland has a comeback candidate in the lead, according to the Plain Dealer.

Deshaun Watson currently is ahead of Shedeur Sanders in an ongoing competition under first-year head coach Todd Monken, per the report.

Watson, 30, emerged from the first minicamp of Monken's tenure with a grasp on the starting spot but Monken did not make an official announcement or declare a 'leader' at this stage of the offseason. Monken said he hopes to have a better read on the QB pecking order by the end of the June 9-11 minicamp, a final on-field team session prior to July training camp.

Watson did not play last season while recovering from an Achilles injury and two corrective surgeries. His health issues have been one of the few constants during Watson's time with the Browns, who acquired him from the Houston Texans in a 2022 trade.

In three seasons in Cleveland, Watson has never started more than seven games. He has produced 19 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions while being sacked 70 times in 19 total games.

Sanders has been upbeat in his first full offseason as a pro after Monken was positive about how he felt about the former Colorado quarterback during pre-draft evaluations before the 2025 draft. The Browns, then coached by Kevin Stefanski, selected Dillon Gabriel in the third round before taking Sanders two rounds later.

Sanders had seven touchdowns, 10 interceptions and was sacked 23 times in 2025. He was given a shot as the starter after Joe Flacco was benched (and traded to the Cincinnati Bengals) and Gabriel took over.

The Browns drafted another quarterback -- former Boise State and Arkansas passer Taylen Green -- with the 182nd overall pick last week. Green is viewed as a developmental prospect posing no immediate threat to the competition to start in 2026, but his tools are intriguing. At 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, Green wowed at the NFL Scouting Combine with a 4.36 40-yard dash and a 43.5-inch vertical jump.

--Field Level Media