Colorado's Shedeur Sanders Predicted to Take Over for $230 Million Bust Quarterback

By any measure, the Cleveland Browns' signing of quarterback Deshaun Watson has been a disaster. That's why the potential for the team to pick Shedeur Sanders with its first choice in next year's draft is especially intrguing--and CBS Sports' latest mock draft has them doing just that.

Let's start with Watson. Pick a way in which he might have disappointed folks in Cleveland, and it's come to fruition.

Trouble staying healthy? Check. Watson played just six games in his first season with the Browns, 2022, and played only six games again last year.

Trouble off the field? Check. Since coming to Cleveland, Watson has had three lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault, an issue the team had thought was put to rest when Watson was cleared by a grand jury in 2022.

Trouble on the field? Check. Watson has gone just 9-8 in his starts for the Browns, and after posting a quarterback rating of 104.5 in four seasons with the Texans, he has a 79.4 rating in his three years in Cleveland, who are 1-4 this season.

The real trouble is on the books, though, because when they traded for Watson, the Browns took the odd step of guaranteeing all of Watson's five-year $230 million contract . He is signed through 2026, and after restructuring his deal, the Browns now will have Watson on their payroll into 2028.

That's why moving to Sanders sooner rather than later could make some sense. As CBS Sports' Josh Edwards wrote in his latest mock draft, the Browns would reach for Sanders at No. 3.

"No one questions that Cleveland needs to make a change at quarterback," he wrote. "There are questions about how to handle Deshaun Watson's contract and the path forward. Signing Sam Darnold next offseason is probably not in the cards considering what they will owe Watson, but the idea of taking a quarterback in the draft makes a lot of sense."

Sanders, for his part, is having an outstanding season in Boulder, leading the nation in completion percentage (70.1%), with 1,630 yards passing and 14 touchdowns against just three interceptions.

He's a strong candidate to be the first quarterback picked next April, along with Jalen Milroe of Alabama, Cam Ward of Miami, Carson Beck of Georgia and Quinn Ewers of Texas.