Imagine Andrew Berry, going through his checklist while interviewing prospective head coaches, and as the coach is trying to sell himself to Berry, he stops and says to the Browns general manager: “Do you mind if I ask a question before we get too far along?” “Go for it,” Berry answers. “I watched tape of your team the last two years so I could be prepared for this interview. If you think I’m qualified for the job, before I sign a contract, I’d like to know who my starting quarterback is.” And then Berry says: “It’s been great talking with you. We have your phone number if we have any further questions.” There is no quick fix to the position that has dragged the Browns down like an anchor to the depths of the AFC North for most of the last 27 years. Forty-two different quarterbacks have started for the Browns since 1999. There is a very good chance the list will grow to at least 43 next season. Where that quarterback will come from is a puzzle for Berry and the next head coach to solve. Dillon Gabriel, chosen 94th overall in the 2025 draft, showed while going 1-5 as a starter that he could be a steady backup that won’t rock the ship, but nothing more. Shedeur Sanders, chosen 144th last April, went 3-4 in seven starts. The Browns beat the Steelers, 13-6, and the Bengals, 20-18, to finish the season, but Sanders put just one touchdown on the board in the Pittsburgh game and none in the Cincinnati game. The Browns scored two defensive touchdowns against the Bengals. “I think we saw a lot of progress with Shedeur this year,” Berry said on Jan. 5 during his news conference to discuss firing Kevin Stefanski after six years. “I think that’s both mentally and physically playing the position. “He’s still very much a work in progress, like many rookie quarterbacks are. But I think we saw some really good things in terms of his playmaking, his accuracy, his ability to extend them with his feet. I’d also give him credit as well as our offensive staff for bringing him along in terms of his pocket management, his situational awareness and things of that nature.” Sanders’ final stat line shows he completed 120 of 212 passes (56.6 percent) for 1,400 yards with seven touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. He was sacked 23 times. Sanders’ passer rating of 68.1 ranked 49th of 50 ranked quarterbacks. Aidan O’Connnel of the Raiders, who played in only one game, ranked 50th with a rating of 59.3. The important part of Berry’s answer as it pertains to the next chapter in the Browns’ story came next. “We’re going to do our work on the quarterback market,” Berry said. “It’s too important of a position, and it’s something that has to be solidified. I can’t sit here and tell you today whether the solution for the starter in 2026 is internal or external. But it’s something that we’re going to work through over the next several weeks. And quite honestly, the new head coach will also have a lot of input into that as well.” Winning the last two games dropped the Browns to sixth in the draft order. The Raiders pick first and the Jets second, followed by the Cardinals, Titans and Giants before the Browns get their turn. Had the Browns lost to the Steelers and Bengals, they would have finished 3-14 and owned the first pick in the 2026 draft. The Raiders and Jets need a quarterback. So do the Cardinals if they have given up on Kyler Murray, as it appears they have. When the Browns traded the second pick in 2025 to the Jaguars for the fifth overall pick and Jacksonville’s 2025 second-round pick — which turned into running back Quinshon Judkins — plus Jacksonville’s first-round pick in 2026, they did so confident the 2026 draft would be chock full of franchise quarterbacks. One college football season later, that is not the case. CBSSports.com ranks Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza first overall in the 2026 draft class and Oregon quarterback Dante Moore second. Their next highest-ranked quarterback is Ty Simpson of Alabama at 30th. Moore, after the Ducks lost the Peach Bowl, 56-22, to Indiana on Jan. 9, said he hasn’t decided whether to be part of this year’s draft. Jan. 23 is the deadline for him to decide. Interestingly, Pro Football Focus ranks Simpson as the best quarterback in the draft and 20th overall. PFF ranks Mendoza 23rd and Moore 27th. The only other quarterbacks ranked in PFFs top 100 draft prospects are Garrett Nussmeier of LSU at 92 and Jayden Maiava of USC at 94. Any quarterback the Browns draft will need time to develop. The veteran free agent class is bleak, unless the Browns are looking for an aging, steady backup with experience. Veterans set to hit the open market when the new league year begins in March include Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, Tyrod Taylor, Marcus Mariota, Mitch Trubisky, Case Keenum, Joe Flacco and Zach Wilson. Daniel Jones would be on the list, but he is recovering from a torn Achilles. For all the above reasons, I go back to the notion that when the Browns hit the field for organized team activities in May, the best quarterback on the roster will be Deshaun Watson. I know. I know that is painful for some to read. Watson is 9-10 since the Browns acquired him in a disastrous trade with the Texans in 2022. He hasn’t played a full season since 2020, when he passed for 4,823 yards and threw 33 touchdown passes for the 4-12 Texans. He missed all of 2025 recovering from Achilles tendon surgery performed on Jan. 9 of last year. He practiced with the Browns for three weeks late in the season just concluded but was never activated off the Physically Unable to Perform list. “We’re very pleased with how Deshaun went through and attacked his rehab this past year, how he engaged with the team, what he did in the meeting rooms,” Berry said. “Very pleased with the progress that he made in that regard. “Look, I can never predict the future, but right now we do anticipate him being on the 2026 team. But we have a long way to go before we get to that point with any player.” Berry isn’t just being patient with Watson, hoping by some miracle he can become the quarterback the Browns thought they were getting when they traded three first-round picks, one third-round choice and two fourth-round picks to the Texans nearly four years ago. Watson had a no-trade clause in his contract with the Texans. At first, he rejected a trade to Cleveland. But Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is so desperate to field a winning team that he lured Watson with a fully guaranteed $230 million contract at $46 million a year. The contract was unprecedented. The problem as 2026 arrives is the Browns repeatedly restructured Watson’s contract for salary cap purposes. Because of that, if they cut Watson now, the Browns would take a staggering salary cap hit of $131 million. Even if they cut him with a June 1 designation, it would be an $80 million cap hit. The projected salary cap for 2026 is around $295 million. No matter how deep Haslam’s pockets are, Berry wouldn’t be able to put together a competitive team if 27 percent of the team’s salary cap is wasted on a player no longer part of it. So Watson will be on the roster next season, and with so few options, he might be the best quarterback the next coach has. I didn’t know that … until I read my Snapple bottle cap A woman’s heart generally beats 78-82 times per minute. A man’s heart beats 70-72 times a minute. … A duck has three eyelids — an upper and lower lid plus what is called a nictitating membrane to help the duck see under water and keep its eye moist. … If you don’t like reptiles or snakes, move to Antarctica. It is the only continent without them. … Curling is the official state sport of North Dakota. … Despite its hump, a camel has a straight spine. … About 50 percent of Earth’s oxygen is supplied by the plankton in our planet’s oceans. ...read more read less