It's great to be a Cincinnati Bengals fan entering 2026. The main reason? Quite simply that Joe Burrow is an elite quarterback and is overdue to stay healthy for a full season.
Armed with a far superior defense than he's accustomed to, along with all of his starters returning on offense, Burrow is poised to have perhaps his best year to date as a pro. Contrary to popular narratives, Dexter Lawrence is a transformational addition to the defense, and the Cincinnati's offensive line is in excellent shape.
Anyway, back to Burrow — and how his presence creates the type of quarterback stability eludes the Bengals AFC North rival, the Cleveland Browns. Or the Cleveland Clowns if you're nasty.
Browns' Shedeur Sanders-Deshaun Watson QB conundrum continues to baffle
Yes, Cleveland has yet another quarterback Derby during training camp that is creating a massive question mark around the most important position once more.
Do the Browns roll with disgraced, ineffective, and oft-injured field general Deshaun Watson? Or do they go with the polarizing second year signal caller Shedeur Sanders?
Based on the latest buzz From Bleacher Report's James Palmer, it sounds like any edge Watson may have had as the more experienced veteran has given way. Sanders has evidently made some serious strides. Could a Year 2 leap be in store?
"Shedeur Sanders has closed the gap. He is improving in terms of his pocket presence, in terms of going through his progressions, all the stuff that you need to play effective NFL quarterback. We know that he's an accurate quarterback when he's on his game. We know that there were question marks, obviously, about him coming in, which is why he was a fifth-round pick. But he has really shown improvement."
Where do things stand in the Browns QB battle between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders? And do the Browns have any interest in possibly trading Sanders? pic.twitter.com/XC3dtXkufY
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) July 9, 2026
Mike Lucas of the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show had this to say about the latest buzz on Watson's apparently fatiguing arm and how it pertains to Shedeur:
Shedeur Sanders — however you feel about him — 10000% has to be the #Browns starter this year.
— Mikey McNuggets (@MikeLucasTV) July 8, 2026
If he’s got fatigue in his shoulder during minicamp — where he can’t get hit — there’s a 0.00000001% chance he’ll last long in the season. https://t.co/fWcQWwCuSW
Beyond the problematic elements of Watson ever playing another NFL down even though he's eligible by league standards, hasn't the string been played out already? He's a shell of a player he once was for the Houston Texans.
With a declining shoulder and a twice-torn Achilles since he last played an NFL down, how exactly is Watson about to be better than before?
The Browns are in pole position (not a compliment) for last place in the AFC North this year. That should position them to be drafting high in 2027, where there's expected to be a stacked QB class. They need to see if Shedeur is The Guy before punting on him, drafting the wrong Face of Franchise Future, and watching Shedeur flourish elsewhere.
From Cincinnati's vantage point, these are great problems for a division rival to have.
Even after the Browns traded future Hall of Famer Myles Garrett to the Rams, they got back Jared Verse, so it's not like Cleveland's defense is bound to take a huge step back. The longer the Brownies' QB conundrum drags on, and the murkier it is if new head coach Todd Monken has to flip-flop between Watson and Sanders during the season, the better off the Bengals will be!
Expectations are admittedly, deservedly low in Cleveland. Nevertheless, it's refreshing not to have the noisiest AFC North training camp subplots be things like, "Can the Bengals start fast?" or, "Can Joe Burrow stay healthy?" or, "What's the latest contract drama in Cincinnati?"
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