As Deshaun Watson ramps up slowly, Browns prepare for another QB logjam in 2026

The Cleveland Browns started Deshaun Watson's 21-day practice window Wednesday, allowing him the chance to be activated to the 53-man roster later this season and ultimately play in 2025.

But, as sources tell CBS Sports, it is only a chance. Maybe even the slimmest of chances.

Sources deem it unlikely Watson ultimately sees game action this season in what is the penultimate year of his record-setting contract. And unless the Browns wish to take on a heavy dead cap hit of more than $80 million in 2026, it is quite possible, if not likely, Cleveland has him on the roster in 2026.

It sets Cleveland up to potentially have another big quarterback room and subsequent preseason competition among four or so contenders in 2026.

Watson is taking very limited practice reps this week as he continues to ramp up. The Browns have until Christmas week to activate him to the 53-man roster, where he could be active for the final two games of the season. If he is not activated by Week 17, Watson will revert to season-ending injured reserve. By the time the Browns must make the decision, Watson will have fewer than 10 practices under his belt after being away from the field for more than a year.

Cleveland placed Watson on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list in the summer as he continued his recovery from multiple Achilles tears.

On Oct. 20, 2024, against the Bengals, Watson tore his right Achilles tendon and underwent surgery within a week. A return to play Week 1 of the 2025 season was very much a possibility on a traditional timeline. For example, Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles just before Halloween 2023 and started Week 1 for the Falcons in 2024.

But during his recovery, Watson reported discomfort to the Browns during his exit physical, and it was discovered he had re-ruptured his Achilles. He underwent a second surgery on Jan. 9 that put his availability for this season in jeopardy.

The Browns signed Watson to a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract in March 2022, unprecedented both at its time and still today. The Browns gave up draft-pick compensation that included three first-round picks in order to secure Watson and sign him to that deal, and he missed the first 11 games of the 2022 season due to an NFL suspension related to several allegations of sexual misconduct during massages.

Watson has ultimately started in 19 of 63 (and counting) regular-season games in which he has been a member of the Cleveland Browns, winning nine of those games while missing the others due to the suspension and an assortment of injuries.

Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said in March at league meetings that "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."

Trading Watson is not an option for the Browns as no team would deal for him. The only way the team could release him is after this season by designating him a post-June 1 cut, which would result in a dead cap hit of nearly $81 million for 2026 and $0 in cap savings.

Because of multiple restructures the Browns have done to Watson's original deal, the quarterback won't be off Cleveland's books until 2030. And while that doesn't sound great, it is more digestible when considering the salary cap has increased by more than $70 million in the past three years alone and is anticipated to follow a similar, if not better, trajectory in coming years.

Watson's return to practice this season should not have any impact on the development of rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel. They won't have their practice reps taken by Watson, and the Browns go into this weekend's game against the Titans with Sanders as the starter and Gabriel the backup.

Gabriel got six starts in nine appearances with one victory. Sanders gets his third start Sunday with a 1-1 record. Barring injury or poor play, Sanders could very well finish the season as Cleveland's starting quarterback.

Beyond this season, there are few guarantees other than another eventual quarterback competition in 2026. Both head coach Kevin Stefanski and GM Andrew Berry have warm seats, though both men signed extensions in 2024.

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Watson will be unmovable while Gabriel and Sanders will be entering their second seasons. Some league sources have wondered if Cleveland would look to deal one of them come next season. And then there's the unknown quarterback for Cleveland, someone who is currently playing in college who the Browns can draft using the capital gained from the Travis Hunter trade. In the latest mock draft from CBS Sports' Mike Renner, that quarterback was Alabama's Ty Simpson. 

At 3-9, the Browns currently have the No. 5 overall pick in next year's draft. If Jacksonville craters and misses the playoffs, that pick would be in the top-18. The Browns, and everyone else, would be competing with the New York Jets, who have more draft capital in future years than any other team thanks to the Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams deals.