The Cleveland Browns still have Deshaun Watson under contract for 2026, and new coach Todd Monken suggested he may well use him.
In a new interview for the team’s official website, Monken admitted he is “intrigued” by Watson, and noted that the 30-year-old was once a superstar while with the Houston Texans.
Monken even put Watson’s name in with Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel when discussing potential starting quarterbacks.
“You’ve got a player like Deshaun, who’s coming back from injury and at one time was a Pro Bowl player, and an elite player in this league, that we would love to tap back into that let alone with Dillon and Shedeur,” Monken said, via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.
Watson is now fully healthy, and the Browns even opened his practice window late in the season, though nothing more came of that. He has largely been written off due to injuries and ineffectiveness, but thanks to his 5-year, $230 million guaranteed contract, the team is stuck with him for one more season.
Watson has only made 19 starts in a Browns uniform since they controversially traded for him. He underwent shoulder surgery in 2023 and tore his Achilles twice after that, but was not all that impressive even when he was playing.