Chad Johnson Gives Deshaun Watson a Six-Week Deadline to Keep the Browns Job

The Cleveland Browns still haven’t officially named a starting quarterback, but Chad Johnson says he already knows who it’s going to be. And apparently, that comes with a hard deadline.

Speaking on the “Nightcap” show, the former NFL wide receiver claimed Deshaun Watson will enter the season as QB1. But Johnson didn’t stop there. He threw down a timeline that might make Watson’s camp a little uneasy.

“Deshaun Watson is the starting QB for the Cleveland Browns. The job Deshaun Watson’s gonna get, it is his job to lose,” Johnson said. “He has six weeks. I guarantee you. Listen to me now, I’m telling, I’m calling it right now. He has six weeks to make sure that the team is playing above or better than whatever the expectations may be for that team and that quarterback. If he’s not, Shedeur Sanders will fall in line as the backup and be the starter for the remainder of the season.”

That’s a pretty specific prediction from somebody who claims to have inside info. The Browns have not confirmed anything, and coach Todd Monken has been publicly vague about the competition between Watson and rookie Shedeur Sanders. But Johnson sounds confident about what’s happening behind closed doors.

Two Quarterbacks, Two Very Different Paths

Watson is 30 years old and hasn’t looked like the star he was in Houston since arriving in Cleveland back in 2022. He’s only played 19 games for the Browns. Injuries have wrecked him — he missed all of last season with a torn Achilles — and off-field legal issues have followed him the whole time. A lot of fans and analysts have already written him off.

Sanders is 24 and showed some flashes as a rookie. In eight games last season he threw for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Not great numbers, but good enough to get him a Pro Bowl nod as a replacement. The sample size is small, but the potential is there.

If Johnson’s sources are right, Watson gets the first crack at things. And he gets six games to prove he’s still the guy. If Cleveland starts slow and Watson looks shaky, the leash could get short fast.

The Browns have made the playoffs just once in the last five seasons. There’s pressure on everybody in that building — the front office, the coaching staff and whoever is taking snaps. Johnson’s six-week prediction might sound harsh, but in a league that doesn’t wait around, it probably isn’t far off.