Who Should I Start? Deshaun Watson or Sam Howell

Tuesday, August 26, 3:53 PM

The Cleveland Browns officially placed quarterback Deshaun Watson (Achilles) on the Physically Unable to Perform list on Tuesday to begin the 2025 season, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Watson tore his Achilles in the middle of last season and had multiple surgeries in the offseason. He will have to miss at least the first four games this year, but the full expectation is that the 29-year-old will miss the entire year. Cleveland will begin the season with veteran Joe Flacco under center, with one of rookies Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders backing him up after they traded Kenny Pickett (hamstring) to the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday. The Watson investment has been one of the worst front-office decisions in franchise history to this point, as he has played in just 19 games since the start of 2021. It would not be a surprise if Watson doesn't play another down for the Browns again.

Tuesday, September 2, 9:50 PM

Quarterback Sam Howell is likely to serve as the Philadelphia Eagles' QB2 behind Jalen Hurts in the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night, according to Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Eagles acquired Howell from the Minnesota Vikings in late August after projected backup quarterback Tanner McKee (thumb) went down with a fractured thumb. McKee is not expected to be ready for Week 1, but he is expected to re-take Philadelphia's QB2 role when fully healthy. If pressed into action, Howell has 18 games of starting experience in the NFL. He led the NFL in pass attempts (612) and interceptions (21) in 17 games for the Washington Commanders in 2023.