Cleveland Browns Have Reportedly Chosen Their Starting Quarterback — NFL Insider Calls It The League’s “Worst-Kept Secret”

This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.

The Cleveland Browns are keeping fans guessing about who will be their starting quarterback, but one NFL insider believes the choice has been obvious for months.

The position has been full of questions all offseason. Deshaun Watson is still working his way back from the Achilles injury that cut his 2024 season short. Shedeur Sanders has tried to build on the momentum he created late last year, and Dillon Gabriel has been good in training camp.

Reports have bounced back and forth since spring workouts started, some point to Sanders, while others back Watson. But NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo says this starting battle might not be as close as everyone thinks

Insider Stands Firm On Watson Prediction

Garafolo recently joined ESPN Cleveland and doubled down on a prediction he first made at the NFL Scouting Combine in February.

“Deshaun Watson, I have been on this since February, at the scouting combine I had people telling me Deshaun Watson is going to be the starter for the Browns. Like, that’s the worst-kept secret in the NFL back in February,” Garafolo said when asked who will start at quarterback for Cleveland.

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Garafolo also said the signs became clearer as the offseason progressed.

“It’s going to be Watson because owner Jimmy Haslam had said before that they, ‘Took a swing and a miss with Deshaun Watson,’ made it seem like it was over,” Garafolo said. “Now, all the sudden, Watson is coming back here. He’s still got to fend off Shedeur, he still has to practice well and play well in the preseason. But my educated guess is it is going to be Deshaun Watson.”

“It’s going to be Watson,” – @MikeGarafolo on the Browns QB battle and what he’s been hearing.

Who do you think should be QB1? pic.twitter.com/4wI5RGfRaP

— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 6, 2026

Those comments back up a theory that’s been swirling around Cleveland for months. Owner Jimmy Haslam and GM Andrew Berry traded for Watson in 2022, and many around the league think they desperately want to give him one last chance to justify that move.

Since joining the Browns, injuries have limited Watson to just 19 starts, and he has posted a disappointing 9-10 record with an 80.7 passer rating.

For now, head coach Kevin Stefanski’s staff is focusing on camp and working on the offense, with Offensive coordinator Todd Monken saying the team wants quarterbacks to “stack as many good plays as we can” during camp. But if Garafolo is right, the Browns may have quietly made up their mind a long time ago.