Deshaun Watson cleared from the concussion and will make the trip to New Orleans; remains questionable and Shedeur Sanders will still start

BrownsCleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson scrambles as Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen wraps him up in the second half of play. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.comBy Mary Kay Cabot, cleveland.comCLEVELAND, Ohio — Deshaun Watson was cleared from the concussion protocol on Saturday but remains questionable for the Saints game.Shedeur Sanders will still start the game, as Todd Monken announced on Friday.Watson will make the trip to New Orleans with the team today, but it remains to be seen if he will be active for the game. Watson, who suffered the concussion on the third play of last Sunday’s 27-6 loss to the Steelers, has a chance to serve as the backup to Sanders, but wasn’t able to participate in team drills all week. Watson returned to practice Friday on a limited basis, participated in individual and position drills only. It means Dillon Gabriel, who served as QB2 all week, could still serve will back up Sanders, who will make his first start of the season. It makes sense considering the two QBs took all the snaps in team drills this week, with Sanders working with the starters and Gabriel mostly helping to run the scout team. Sixth-round pick Taylen Green will likely serve as the emergency third quarterback. Experts release final Browns vs. Saints predictions as Shedeur Sanders officially named starter for Week 9Experts release updated Browns vs. Saints predictions after Shedeur Sanders named QB1Browns at Saints: 3 things to watch on Sunday (Video)With Watson clearing the protocol on Saturday, he’ll be eligible to start next week’s game at home against his former team, the Texans. Todd Monken indicated Wednesday that Watson, who’s tied for the NFL lead with five fourth-quarter game-winning drives and has led the Browns to a 5-3 mark, will reclaim his QB1 role when healthy. “Yeah, I didn’t assume I’d get that question,” Monken said. “Yeah, he’s been our starter for eight games. I would assume he’s still our starter. I’m really thinking about (Wednesday) today and watching Shedeur play today.” Monken liked what he saw from Sanders all week in practice as he geared up for his first start since leading the Browns to a 20-18 victory over the Bengals in the 2025 season finale. The Browns’ fifth-round pick last year out of Colorado, Sanders led the Browns to a 3-4 mark, including back-to-back victories over the Steelers and Bengals in the final two games of the season. “I liked his confidence, like the way he operated, looked very comfortable in terms of getting our guys in-and-out of the huddle, getting to the line of scrimmage was going to be half the battle this week, obviously, going there. So. And I thought he threw the ball, you know, extremely well.”He noted that giving Sanders half the first-team reps during the two-way battle in training camp seems to have paid off. “I do think there are positives to the amount of reps he got during the fall,” Monken said. “I think obviously there was a two-month gap there, but I think there was enough there in terms of our system, how we do things. He’s been on every trip; he’s been on the headset during games. He hears every call that we make. So, if a player is diligent like he’s been, then you expect there to be some carryover.”In addition to clearing Watson, the Browns signed defensive tackle Sam Kamara off the practice squad and also signed tight end Carsen Ryan to the practice squad and elevated him for the game. Kamara will help make up for the absence of Maliek Collins, who was ruled out Friday with his elbow injury. Mary Kay Cabot has more than 30 years experience covering the Cleveland Browns for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com, and became only the second female in Pro Football Hall of Fame history to win the Bill Nunn...