The Cleveland Browns are reportedly prepared to enter the 2025 season with Deshaun Watson as their starting quarterback, a decision that would reaffirm the organization’s commitment to a player who has missed 37 of a possible 51 games since arriving in 2022, including all of 2024 after tearing his right Achilles tendon. According to a CBS Sports report, Watson currently leads Shedeur Sanders, the top quarterback prospect in the upcoming NFL Draft, in the team’s internal hierarchy. The Browns own the No. 2 overall selection, a position historically used to secure a franchise quarterback on a cost-controlled rookie contract. Watson, meanwhile, carries a $72.9 million cap hit in 2025, the highest in the league, and has posted a 9-10 record as a starter with more interceptions (12) than touchdown passes (11) over his 19 appearances. The unresolved tension lies in whether the organization will dedicate a premium draft pick to a player who would serve as an understudy to a quarterback whose performance and durability remain unresolved.