Deshaun Watson is back on top of the Browns’ depth chart, but the betting market is still treating Cleveland like a team with a long climb ahead.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Browns have named Watson their starting quarterback ahead of Week 3 of the preseason, which puts him in line to open Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars unless injury changes the picture. Watson had been competing with Shedeur Sanders in training camp.
The decision comes with plenty of baggage. Watson has struggled during his time in Cleveland, and he is also coming off an Achilles injury that wiped out the entire 2025 season. Even with him set to start, DraftKings Sportsbook has the Browns as 7.5-point road underdogs in Week 1.
The futures numbers aren’t much kinder. Cleveland is tied with the New York Jets for the third-worst Super Bowl odds, and the Browns are +570 to make the playoffs in 2026. That lines up with the broader view of a roster still in transition, especially after the team moved on from Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett in the offseason.
Watson’s recent production hasn’t given anyone much reason to believe the projection will change quickly. In seven starts during the 2024 season, he led the Browns to a 1-6 record. Overall in Cleveland, he has completed 61.2 percent of his passes with a 19-to-12 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
The arc has been a sharp fall from the quarterback Watson once was in Houston, where he earned three Pro Bowl selections. Since legal trouble forced him to miss the 2021 season, he has not looked like the same player. After the Browns traded for him, he signed a fully-guaranteed $230 million deal, and Cleveland is now trying one more time to squeeze value out of that investment.
His preseason has been uneven, too. Watson opened with a solid showing against the Chicago Bears, going 11-for-15 for 126 yards. Then he came back down to earth against Buffalo in Week 2, finishing 5-for-12 for 36 yards and an interception.
The Browns’ offense as a whole hasn’t helped matters. Through two preseason games, Cleveland has scored just 17 points, which helps explain why the team sits near the bottom of AFC North projections. Still, Watson is the guy for now, and he’ll get the first shot in Week 1 against the defending AFC South champion Jaguars.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Browns Fans Are Being Pushed Toward A Breaking Point Over Watson
The reaction around Deshaun Watson has kept spilling over since his controversial press conference and the Browns decision to hand him the starting job over Shedeur Sanders. Even from outside Berea, the frustration is hard to miss, and ESPNs Dan Orlovsky went as far as suggesting Browns fans should think twice about showing up for home games as a form of pushback. Watson later issued a public apology for his comments, but it has done little to calm the broader unease hanging over the team.
For Cleveland, the timing only adds to the tension because its first two games are on the road, leaving the home crowd waiting until Week 3 to make its feelings known in person. By then, the Browns will already have spent another stretch answering questions about quarterback choice, accountability and how much patience is left in a fan base that has already been asked to absorb plenty. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Young Talent Could Pay The Price For This QB Decision
The Browns are moving forward with Deshaun Watson as their starter for the upcoming season, a choice that immediately puts the offense under a brighter spotlight. Cleveland has made enough changes around him to suggest it wants a cleaner operation, including tweaks to the offensive line and coaching staff, but the broader concern remains whether the unit can finally get more out of a quarterback whose recent efficiency numbers have left plenty of room for doubt.
For young players trying to grow into bigger roles, that matters. Denzel Boston, Quinshon Judkins and Spencer Fano all stand to be shaped by the kind of offense Watson can support, and if the passing game stalls or the pressure issues linger, their chances to thrive could be squeezed before the season really gets rolling. The Browns are betting on continuity and upside, but the margin for error is already thin. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Secondary Suddenly Has A Roster Problem Before Week 1
The Browns secondary has spent much of training camp trying to get settled, but the group keeps running into bad luck at the worst possible time. Rookie cornerback Michael Coats Jr. was carted off the field during a recent practice after suffering a leg injury, adding another concern to a defensive backfield that has already taken hits this summer.
Coats latest setback comes after he had already dealt with an ankle injury in the first preseason game, making this his second leg issue in two weeks. Cleveland has already seen multiple injuries pile up in the secondary during camp, including a season-ending injury to Damarri Mathis, leaving the Browns with a roster puzzle to sort out with Week 1 approaching. [Read more 🡒]