Jimmy and Dee Haslam say their Brook Park stadium project is proceeding even while a legal fight persists over some of the proposed funding. (TheLandOnDemand)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
PHOENIX, AZ
The possibility of Deshaun Watson reclaiming his starting quarterback job in 2026 is real.
That’s the word from the same man who a year ago declared the ill-fated Browns trade for Watson “a big swing and a miss.”
Yes, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is totally on board with Watson competing with fan-favorite Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel for the starting job. The competition unofficially opens on April 7, the start of coach Todd Monken’s offseason conditioning program.
Haslam’s case for Watson as the starter was made in answer to a question about his critical remarks a year ago, which seemed to put the Watson era to bed.
“I think like most things we say, we could probably articulate a little bit better,” Haslam said. “But listen, it's not for lack of effort, OK? I mean, I don't think anybody in our organization would question his effort, his toughness, everything he's put in the job. The reality is he's had major injuries, right? His shoulder, tore his Achilles tendon twice. So he's been really ravaged by injuries and that, along with the 11-game suspension, have kept him from playing.
“Now, Deshaun has a great chance, fresh start, [with an] offensive minded coach, who has, in his past, been able to work with all kinds of different quarterbacks and make him successful. So Deshaun has a great chance to do that now. We talked to him the other day. He said he weighed the less he’s in several years … was in great shape. He'll be here on April 7th when we start and let's see what Deshaun could do. We’re all excited.”
At the same time, Haslam – reflecting the organization’s QB plan – is not discounting Sanders or even Dillon Gabriel. The rookies combined for a 4-9 record in their 13 starts after Joe Flacco began the 2025 season with one win in the first four games.
Haslam said he was impressed with Sanders’ commitment to getting better as his second season approaches.
“He's been in Cleveland most of the winter, and I think that says a lot for his dedication to wanting to be a NFL quarterback and understanding what it takes,” Haslam said. “His body looks better. I think he's been working hard. I think it's hard for a lot of college kids to understand what it takes to play in the NFL and particularly quarterback. I think Shedeur got an education on that, and my instincts are he'll come back ready to play.”
As for Gabriel?
“Would things have been different if Dillon doesn't get a concussion in the Baltimore game?” Haslam said. “I don't know. So let's not rule him out that quickly, either. We’ve got three guys who have been successful at various levels and let's see how the competition goes. And we have a head coach who's been very good at developing all kinds of different quarterbacks.”
So right now the pursuit of the final answer at the position appears to be on hold.
“We'll know a lot more over the next six months, right?” Haslam said.
It’s not difficult, then, to link the search for the quarterback answer with the Myles Garrett stay-or-go situation. What the next six months bring with the first issue may lead to finality in the Garrett saga.
Haslam said the organization is “1000 percent committed to getting this [team] fixed.” And he believes, for now, that Garrett staying put is part of the solution.
“I could argue that Myles is the best player in the NFL, okay? And you could say, ‘Well, no, you’ve got to pick the quarterbacks’ and I wouldn't argue against that because quarterback is so important in the NFL,” Haslam said. “But he had his best year ever. If you know Myles, he takes phenomenal care of himself and I think he'll remain the best player in the NFL and a top-rate defender for the next five years.”
Does Haslam believe he and Berry and Monken can “getting this fixed” in that five-year window?
“I do … I do,” he answered. “We have a long way to go and talk is cheap, but teams have turned things around quickly. So we’ve got a lot of work to do on offense.”
Haslam is encouraged by the quality and quantity of Berry’s 2025 draft class. With nine picks available this year – four among the top 100 – he is counting on a needed repeat from Berry.
“We need to do the same thing this year. If we could do that, then you're on your way to building a good team,” Haslam said.
On other topics:
* Haslam said Berry “read the room” correctly in withdrawing his proposal to trade draft picks up to five years in advance. There wasn’t enough support from the league competition committee, let alone ownership, to have the measure passed.
* The Haslams’ $3.6 billion Brook Park stadium and mixed-use project is going forward despite a lawsuit against the state of Ohio’s plan to used unclaimed taxpayer funds to cover its $600 million commitment to stadium costs. “We're confident that it's going to come through and obviously we're starting a stadium,” Dee Haslam said. “We're building a stadium. So we're full steam ahead, but we're pretty confident. I mean, they've done it in the past for economic development and this definitely fits into that criteria.” Groundbreaking has started and a formal ceremony is set for April 30.
* Haslam said Sanders’ proven marketability will not factor into the competition for the starting job against Watson and Gabriel. “First of all, I'm not making the decision,” he said. “Todd will make that decision, and I assure you he's going to go on who can win the most games first.”
* Haslam would not explain why the Browns have hard-balled defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz after he resigned and would not allow him to pursue other jobs. Haslam said Schwartz did well in his interview for the head coach position but there was “bias to hire an offensive guy.” Why, then, treat Schwartz differently than Kyle Shanahan, who was let out of his offensive coordinator contract after the 2014 season? “It's a different situation. Jim had been — I don't really want to get into that. I'll just say it's a different situation,” he said.
* Haslam said he will not go on any trips prior to the draft to scout quarterbacks – as he did a year ago – and does intend to attend college games next year, when Arch Manning and a new crop of QB hopefuls emerge for the 2027 draft. “You all probably underestimate what big [college] fans we are in general,” he said. “If we'd have had a great quarterback, we still would have gone to those games.”