{"id":857386,"date":"2026-04-06T19:00:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T19:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/857386\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T19:00:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T19:00:22","slug":"cleveland-browns-predicted-to-make-stunning-qb-move-in-draft-shake-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/857386\/","title":{"rendered":"Cleveland Browns predicted to make stunning QB move in draft shake-up"},"content":{"rendered":"

Speculation around the Cleveland Browns<\/a> quarterback depth chart has picked up, but the debate over Shedeur Sanders versus Deshaun Watson may be getting ahead of itself. The roster remains fluid, especially with the 2026 draft still capable of reshaping the room.<\/p>\n

A scenario floated by ESPN\u2019s Bill Barnwell suggests Cleveland could move back into the first round at No. 32. In that case, Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson becomes a potential target. Barnwell noted the move would not lock the Browns into a long-term commitment, writing<\/a>,<\/p>\n

\u201cTaking Simpson at this point of the draft also wouldn\u2019t preclude the Browns from drafting a quarterback in 2027 if they\u2019re not in love with what they see from the former Alabama QB as a rookie.\u201d<\/p>\n

Opinions on Simpson vary across evaluators, but a thinner quarterback class has boosted his projected draft position. Some voices have even pushed for Cleveland to consider him as early as No. 6 overall, which would significantly alter the current competition.<\/p>\n

For Sanders<\/a>, who entered the league as a fifth-round selection despite earlier first-round projections, another addition could complicate his path. Cleveland\u2019s approach suggests flexibility rather than commitment, signaling that the organization may still be searching for long-term clarity under center rather than settling on a defined starter.<\/p>\n

Browns\u2019 internal signals point toward a Watson resurgence<\/p>\n

Beyond draft speculation, internal messaging from Cleveland has increasingly centered on Watson\u2019s potential return to prominence. Analyst Daryl Ruiter believes the tone set by the organization is intentional.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are softening the ground for him to win that competition a 100%,\u201d he said<\/a>. \u201cThere\u2019s no question about that\u2026 there is a real possibility that he\u2019s your starter Week 1.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ownership has reinforced that direction. Jimmy Haslam recently described Watson as having \u201ca great chance\u201d at a \u201cfresh start\u201d under new coach Todd Monken, adding that the quarterback is \u201cin great shape\u201d and at his lowest weight in years. That optimism stands in contrast to last year\u2019s admission that the trade was \u201ca big swing-and-miss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watson\u2019s tenure has been defined by limited availability and uneven production. Since arriving in 2022 via a deal that included three first-round picks and a fully guaranteed $230 million contract, he has appeared in just 19 of 68 possible games. His record sits at 9-10, with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. In 2024, his QB Impact Metric score of 51.1 ranked 39th in the league, the lowest of his career.<\/p>\n

Financial realities add another layer. With $46 million still owed in 2026, Cleveland has reason to revisit its investment. Even so, Sanders\u2019 seven starts showed flashes, including a 364-yard, four-touchdown outing, though his overall numbers reflected inconsistency.<\/p>\n

More NFL News<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Speculation around the Cleveland Browns quarterback depth chart has picked up, but the debate over Shedeur Sanders versus…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":724787,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2054],"tags":[86,85,54,2337,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-857386","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cleveland-browns","8":"tag-browns","9":"tag-cleveland","10":"tag-cleveland-browns","11":"tag-clevelandbrowns","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116359307408882366","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=857386"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857386\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/724787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=857386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=857386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=857386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}