Shedeur Sanders will start at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, head coach Todd Monken confirmed on Friday, with Deshaun Watson still working through the NFL’s concussion protocol and unable to take team reps in practice this week.
It will be Sanders’ first start of the 2026 season. Kickoff is Sunday, November 8 at 1:00 p.m. ET at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, with the game on CBS.
How Watson’s week unfolded
Watson took a helmet-to-helmet hit from Pittsburgh safety Jaquan Brisker in the first quarter of last Sunday’s game at the Steelers. He was evaluated in the medical tent, cleared to return, and finished the 27-6 loss.
The symptoms showed up later. Watson reported concussion symptoms on Monday night and was placed in the league’s concussion protocol on Tuesday. He did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday, and when he returned on Friday it was for individual work only — no team drills.
Monken said that, more than the protocol itself, is what decided Sunday’s starter: “He’s still not able to do any team reps. He can do individual, he can do some routes, been in meetings, but you’re not able to do any of the team reps, which makes it difficult.” Earlier in the week he put the problem plainly: “If you’re not able to take the team reps and the throwing reps, how do you get the timing with your receivers?”
Watson is officially listed as questionable. Whether he would even dress as the backup if he clears the protocol in time is undecided. “Haven’t decided that yet,” Monken said. “We’re still working through that, working through his ability to clear it.” Behind Sanders, Cleveland also carries Dillon Gabriel and rookie Taylen Green on the roster.
A real opportunity for Sanders
Sanders, 24, was a fifth-round pick in the 2025 draft and started seven of the eight games he played as a rookie last season while Watson was out for the year following Achilles tendon surgery. This season he has barely seen the field — three pass attempts, all completed, for two yards, most of them in brief relief of Watson in Pittsburgh last week.
Monken was not hiding his curiosity about what a full week of preparation looks like. “I’m fired up to see him play,” he told reporters on Friday. “He wants to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. Let’s go. Let’s let it rip.”
The timing matters for Cleveland. The Browns are 5-3 and trying to stay in the AFC North race, but their offense managed just six points in Pittsburgh. A road win with their backup would steady the season; a flat performance would reopen every question about the position.
What the Saints expect
New Orleans (2-5) is not bracing for a different offense. Saints defensive coordinator Brandon Staley said the change at quarterback does not alter how they are preparing: fundamentally, they are still defending the Browns.
The Saints have added some motivation of their own. Defensive end Carl Granderson said this week that New Orleans will “come in with a chip on our shoulder for sure” with Sanders getting the start. Statistically, the matchup is friendlier than most for a quarterback making his first start of the year: the Saints’ defense sits near the bottom of the league in defensive efficiency and has allowed 27.7 points per game, among the most in the NFL.
One more piece of good news for Cleveland: tight end Harold Fannin Jr. is expected to play despite dealing with a groin issue, giving Sanders one of his most reliable short targets.
Nothing decided beyond Sunday
Monken has committed to nothing past this weekend. Asked earlier in the week about Watson’s hold on the job, he said: “Yeah, he’s been our starter for eight games. I would assume he’s still our starter.” In other words, Sunday is an audition with no promises attached — for a Browns team that is also watching Ohio State’s playoff push back home, where Ohio State’s path back into the College Football Playoff field runs through the final weeks of the season.
Game information
- Matchup: Cleveland Browns (5-3) at New Orleans Saints (2-5), Week 9
- Date and time: Sunday, November 8, 2026, 1:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans
- TV: CBS
- Streaming: Paramount+, NFL+
- Radio: 850 ESPN Cleveland, 98.5 WNCX, 92.3 The Fan
