Shedeur Sander’s battle with Deshaun Watson for the starting role enters its final stage as the Cleveland Browns gear up to face the Buffalo Bills. The Browns suffered a 34-10 defeat at the hands of the Chicago Bears in their preseason opener. Todd Monken had decided that Watson would start the first half, while Sanders would play the second half.
Watson, who was playing his first competitive game after nearly two years away from the field, didn’t take a lot of time to adjust. The veteran QB completed 11 of 15 passes for 126 yards, helping the team score 10 points. However his solid outing was marred by a costly fumble in Chicago territory.
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Sanders, on the other hand, completed 6 of 11 passes for 79 yards, with a of 54.5% completion percentage. The former Colorado QB threw a disappointing interception to close out his shaky performance, making matters worse for him.
Monken, before the Bears game had announced that Sanders would start the second preseason game against the Bills, and the Browns head coach has stuck to his decision despite Sanders’ disappointing performance. However, the reports coming out of Cleveland aren’t positive for Sanders.
Beat reporter Aaron Goldhammer, speaking on the “ESPN Cleveland” show, delivered an unfortunate update on Sanders after the Bears game. He said, “The competition is already over, guys, unless something drastic happens this week.”
Another reporter, Toni Grossi, adding to Goldhammer’s point, highlighted Watson’s lead in the battle, saying, “I think he’s far enough ahead in my opinion that nothing is going to sway it the other way.”
Monken continues to emphasize that the quarterback battle is still wide open, but Sanders seems to face an uphill battle after his performance against the Bears.
