The Browns’ first preseason game brought a little bit of everything at Soldier Field: a return to live action for Deshaun Watson, a promising debut from a rookie playmaker, and a rough afternoon for the quarterback room behind him. Cleveland lost to the Bears 34-10 on Saturday, and while Chicago didn’t have many of its starters on the field, the Browns did.
For Watson, the game mattered less as a result and more as a checkpoint. It was his first real live-game action since Week 7 of the 2024 season against the Cincinnati Bengals, when he tore his Achilles at Huntington Bank Field.
The 30-year-old quarterback had a few sharp moments, finishing 11 of 15 for 126 yards and helping Cleveland get out to the first 10 points of the game. That ended up being all the Browns could manage, but Watson at least looked solid and now has to bring that into joint practice with the Buffalo Bills on Thursday.
One of the more encouraging developments came from KC Concepcion, who saw his first NFL live action and made it count. The rookie wideout caught three passes for 27 yards and added a 14-yard rushing touchdown, showing the kind of versatility Cleveland didn’t have last season. The Browns also used the night to take a look at other rookies, including left tackle Spencer Fano and receivers Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion.
Another bright spot came from second-year back Sampson, who looks poised to take on Jerome Ford’s old role now that Ford is with the Washington Commanders. Cleveland needs him to contribute on third downs and in the passing game, and he gave the offense a nice spark with a 43-yard screen catch that helped set up the Browns’ touchdown in the second quarter.
The story got murkier after Watson left the game. Shedeur Sanders, who is in the middle of the quarterback competition with Watson, didn’t do much to close the gap.
He entered in the second half and connected with Gage Larvadain for a 24-yard gain, but that was the highlight. Sanders went 6-for-11 for 79 yards and threw a bad interception.
He is expected to start against the Bills in next Saturday’s preseason game, and he’ll need a much cleaner showing.
Dillon Gabriel had an even tougher time. He replaced Sanders in the fourth quarter and threw an interception on his first drive, then took two bad sacks. Gabriel did manage to lead a nice drive to close the game, but his final line was modest: five completions on eight attempts for 22 yards and an interception.
There’s only so much anyone can take from a preseason opener, especially with hardly any of Cleveland’s defensive starters on the field beyond the first drive. Still, the Browns’ second-through-fourth-team defense gave up 34 straight points after the early 10-0 lead, and that’s where the concern starts to creep in. Cleveland already has depth questions at defensive tackle and cornerback, and this performance made it clear the Browns may need to explore other options.
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Deshaun Watson Just Reignited The Browns Problem Fans Wanted Gone
The Browns are using their preseason opener against the Bears to give Deshaun Watson another turn as the starting quarterback, a reminder that his path back is still part of the conversation in Cleveland. Watson has not played since October 2024 because of Achilles injuries, and the teams depth-chart decisions continue to carry extra weight with the season approaching and uncertainty still hanging over the most important position on the roster.
Clevelands salary-cap limitations make it difficult to bring in meaningful competition or simply move on from him, which leaves the club managing both the football and financial sides of the situation at the same time. The Browns are planning to designate Watson as a post-June 1 release in March 2027, a move that would bring dead-cap hits but finally close the book on the contract obligations that have shaped so much of the roster conversation. [Read more 🡒]
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Mascarenas-Arnolds climb has also come at a time when Carson Schwesinger is sidelined with a minor injury, opening the door for more reps and a longer look in camp. Even if the depth chart is unofficial, the placement suggests the Browns view him as a legitimate piece of the roster puzzle, and he is now widely expected to make the 53-man roster. [Read more 🡒]
Deshaun Watson Just Put More Pressure On The Browns Quarterback Plan
Deshaun Watson got an extended look in the preseason opener against the Bears, and on paper the first half checked plenty of boxes. He completed more than 70 percent of his passes for 129 yards and a touchdown, the kind of line that can quiet some of the noise around Clevelands quarterback situation, even in August.
But the play-by-play did not look nearly as clean as the stat sheet. Watson appeared uneasy in the pocket and took a strip-sack, while his mobility never really showed up the way it usually can, which keeps the focus on how sharp and stable he can be once the games start counting. Shedeur Sanders also added another layer to the discussion with a mixed outing that included an interception, and the Browns now have more than one quarterback performance to weigh as the competition gets closer to the point where it has to mean something. [Read more 🡒]