Deshaun Watson’s Feelings on Browns Rookie QB Shedeur Sanders Revealed

Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders have hit it off in the Cleveland Browns quarterback room.

Watson is recovering from two surgeries on his Achilles and is expected to miss most, if not all, of next season. However, Watson has remained a strong presence around the Browns’ facility and in the quarterback room. He’s also formed a special connection with Sanders, who the Browns selected in the fifth round.

Watson has reportedly taken Sanders “under his wing,” per Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.

“Watson, famously dubbed a ‘big swing and a miss’ by Browns owner Jimmy Haslam at the NFL Annual Meetings in March, has also taken Sanders under his wing to help him come up the learning curve quickly, and it’s been working,” Cabot said. “Sanders’ Hall of Fame dad, Deion, publicly supported Watson when some Browns fans cheered while he was down on the field in tears with his retorn Achilles Oct. 20 against the Bengals, and Watson is only too happy to repay the favor.”

Bronws QB Dillon Gabriel Also Building Bond With Deshaun Watson

Dillon Gabriel, the Browns’ other rookie quarterback selected in the third round, has also praised Deshaun Watson for his mentorship and influence.

“He’s been a guy I’ve connected with as well. And he’s actually a guy I sit by in our O-line meetings, even in our offensive unit meetings,” Gabriel said during minicamp. “So just being able to be around him and nudge him and ask a question, whether it’s for confirmation or his thought, but also when we’re talking through concepts, I think it’s super cool that we do have five guys in the room that kind of can speak to their own experience and even Deshaun this morning, talking through a concept and kind of how he sees it in the red area. It can change the play in a big way, just how you think of it. So appreciate him a bunch too. Just sharing all his knowledge.”

Gabriel and Sanders are both competing in Cleveland’s four-man quarterback battle, which also includes veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett. The Browns have offered no clear indication of which way they’re leaning, opting to let the competition play out during training camp and the preseason.

Joe Flacco Not Interested in ‘Mentor’ Role

Flacco, 40, is the most experienced and accomplished quarterback in Cleveland’s crowded room, but he’s not embracing the traditional “mentor” label. Instead, he plans to lead by example.

“It’s not really about that. It’s just not the main focus,” Flacco said during OTAs. “I see myself as a guy that can play in this league. So, if your main focus was just like, hey, but I’m going to get you ready, you’re just not taking care of business. The best way to be a mentor, honestly, is to show people how you go to work and, like I said, hope that they pick up on that stuff, but not necessarily force them to pick up on the things that you do.”

The Browns brought Flacco back in April on a one-year, $4 million deal. He previously stepped in for Cleveland in 2023, winning NFL Comeback Player of the Year after stepping in late and going 4-1. Flacco spent the 2024 campaign with the Indianapolis Colts, starting six games and finishing with a 2-4 record.