Who Should I Start? Deshaun Watson or Desmond Ridder

Friday, December 19, 1:27 PM

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said that a decision on activating quarterback Deshaun Watson (Achilles) to the 53-man roster will be made next week, according to Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN. The deadline for the Browns to activate Watson from the Physically Unable to Perform list is next Tuesday. Watson has been ruled out for the Week 16 contest against the visiting Buffalo Bills. Even if the 30-year-old is activated from the PUP list before the Week 17 divisional matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, rookie Shedeur Sanders is expected to remain Cleveland's starter to close out the 2025 season. If the Browns don't activate Watson by next Tuesday, he'll be ineligible for the final two games of the year. The three-time Pro Bowler's NFL future remains incredibly murky, although he's expected to stick around in Cleveland next year and compete for the starting job with Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.

Tuesday, September 16, 5:09 PM

The Minnesota Vikings signed free-agent quarterback Desmond Ridder to their 53-man roster on Monday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The Vikings need some depth at the QB position with J.J. McCarthy out two to four weeks after suffering a high-ankle sprain in the Sunday night loss to the Atlanta Falcons. With McCarthy out for Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals and possibly beyond, veteran Carson Wentz will step into starting duties under center for Minnesota, with undrafted rookie Max Brosmer serving as his backup. Given Brosmer's lack of experience in the NFL, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Ridder be elevated to the No. 2 role sooner than later once he learns the offense. Ridder, a third-round pick in 2022 by the Falcons, quickly wore out his welcome in Atlanta and spent last year as the backup for the Las Vegas Raiders.