Deshaun Watson taking Shedeur Sanders ‘under his wing’ as mentor to Browns QBs

Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is taking on an additional role this offseason as he recovers from a re-aggravated Achilles injury: mentoring QBs.

Watson, expected to miss much, if not all, of the 2025 season, is said to be a source of support to the four quarterbacks vying for the starting job, including Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, whom the former first-round pick has taken “under his wing,” according to Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot.

“Watson has been an awesome teammate inside the quarterback room and meeting rooms, and has been a great cheerleader for the four quarterbacks vying for the starting job,” Cabot reported Sunday, citing sources.

“… He’s been especially helpful to the rookies in Gabriel and Sanders, who are working overtime to remain in the starting mix.”

In the case of Sanders, the 23-year-old son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, Watson, 29, is said to be aiding the former Buffaloes quarterback “come up the learning curve quickly, and it’s been working,” Cabot reported.

Deion, 57, vocally supported Watson in October 2024 in the wake of his initial Achilles injury, which drew some cheers from the Cleveland faithful. Watson “is only too happy to repay the favor” to Deion by mentoring his son, per the report.