Who Should I Start? Deshaun Watson or Zach Wilson

Saturday, December 6, 9:14 PM

The Cleveland Browns are planning to keep quarterback Deshaun Watson (Achilles) on their roster next season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. While Watson is considered unlikely to play this season as he continues to recover from a torn Achilles that required multiple surgeries, the team has expressed interest in keeping him on the roster, noting that the 30-year-old's veteran presence is valuable for their pair of rookie quarterbacks in Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel. Another big reason Watson is expected to return is due to the fact that the Browns would have to take on a dead salary of close to $135 million if they released him before June 1 and a $53 million cap charge if he was designated as a post-June 1 cap casualty. The record for dead-cap money was set by the Denver Broncos with quarterback Russell Wilson at $85 million, which they split into two years, but releasing Watson would cost the Browns significantly more. With Watson set to return in 2026, he's expected to compete with Sanders and Gabriel for Cleveland's starting gig.

Saturday, November 1, 8:31 PM

According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, it's possible Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa could be benched at some point this season. Although Rapoport added Tagovailoa's "play would have to really fall" off for head coach Mike McDaniel to consider a swap, it appears "a potential benching isn't off the table." There are many calling for the signal-caller to be removed from his spot atop the depth chart. If that's the case, the Dolphins might turn to Zach Wilson. The 26-year-old, selected No. 2 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, has been far from a reliable fantasy quarterback. In 36 regular-season contests, he's thrown for 6,325 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions while completing a miserable 57.1% of his attempts. For now, Wilson doesn't have much value for redraft participants. That may not change even if he takes over for Tagovailoa. On the other hand, Wilson can be stashed in deep Superflex dynasty formats, especially in leagues where quarterbacks are hard to come by. It's worth noting that Rapoport indicated that rookie Quinn Ewers would also be considered as a replacement for Tagovailoa as well as the Dolphins potentially making a trade.