The NFL preseason continues Saturday with 10 games on the schedule, including a 1 p.m. ET matchup between the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills, airing on NFL Network. Browns coach Todd Monken had already worked out an agreement with Bills coach Joe Brady regarding their joint practice sessions earlier in the week.
If both sides felt they got enough out of Thursday’s work, the plan was for veteran starters to sit out Saturday’s game.
That decision opens the door further for Shedeur Sanders. The Browns rookie quarterback will get the start Saturday after Deshaun Watson opened the preseason against Cleveland’s previous opponent.
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Sanders still has time to develop as a player, but the more pressing question is whether he has enough time left to win the Week 1 starting job, and Saturday’s matchup against Buffalo could go a long way toward answering that.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler provided some insight Saturday into how the Browns plan to handle the game. According to Fowler, Cleveland will rest some starters but not all, with left tackle Spencer Fano and wide receiver Denzel Boston both expected to play.
Fowler added that the Browns view Saturday as a significant data point in the ongoing quarterback battle, with Watson set to take over in the third quarter.
Last Saturday’s preseason game against the Chicago Bears gave both Watson and Sanders their first real look under game conditions. Watson did enough to stay in the conversation for the starting job.
Sanders had a few moments but not enough to make a strong case for himself, and he was already facing an uphill climb for the role. With that performance behind him, there is even less margin for error, and the rookie now has to find a way to close the gap.
