Who Should I Start? Marcus Mariota or Deshaun Watson

Wednesday, December 3, 12:29 AM

Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota has played great while filling in for an injured Jayden Daniels (elbow). Mariota and the Commanders nearly pulled off the upset against the Denver Broncos in Week 13, with Mariota completing 28 of 50 passes for 294 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception while adding 10 carries for 55 yards on the ground. It was a valiant effort against one of the top defenses in the league that continued a trend of the 32-year-old signal-caller playing well. Daniels reportedly has a chance to return in Week 14 against the Minnesota Vikings, but he has not yet been cleared for contact. More will be known about Daniels' status in practice this week, but if he needs more time, Mariota would be in line to make his seventh start of the season and would profile as a strong streaming option again versus the Vikings.

Thursday, December 4, 3:47 PM

The Cleveland Browns opened up quarterback Deshaun Watson's (Achilles) 21-day practice window this week, but league sources are telling CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones that it's a long shot that he will suit up this year. And unless the Browns want to take on a dead salary cap hit of more than $80 million in 2026, he'll likely be back on the roster next year. Watson tore his right Achilles on Oct. 20 of last year and had surgery within a week. During his recovery, he re-ruptured his Achilles and underwent a second surgery on Jan. 9. Cleveland signed Watson to a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract in March 2022, but he has started only 19 of a possible 63 (and counting) regular-season games for the Browns. Trading Watson is not an option, but they could release him after this year and designate him as a post-June 1 cut, although that would result in a dead cap hit of almost $81 million. If he's back in 2026, Watson will be competing for the starting gig with at least Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.