Cleveland Browns quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson locked horns throughout the NFL offseason to convince Todd Monken to choose one of them as the franchise’s starting QB. It was a battle between the youth of Sanders and the experience of veteran Watson, a battle that captured the imagination of the entire NFL world.
Sanders was the one who kicked off training camp in more impressive fashion as Watson took time to adjust after missing the 2025 season following an Achilles tendon injury. However Watson, after getting used to the pace of the game, got into his groove and looked the more complete QB by the end of training camp.
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Watson was therefore given the start in the preseason opener against the Chicago Bears. The veteran impressed by throwing for 126 yards and appeared to have gained an edge in the competition. But Sanders fought back with his performance in the second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, as he threw for 74 passing yards and one touchdown.
Monken eventually decided to choose Watson as the Browns’ starting quarterback over Sanders. The decision has triggered criticism from Kurt Warner. Warner doesn’t believe that the Browns made the right call by picking Watson.
The Hall of Fame quarterback, speaking on “QB Confidential”, said, “I’m a little bit dumbfounded like a lot of people. I thought, you know, you’re going to move on from Deshaun Watson probably after this year anyways.”
“Why not start the young kid, give him a full season, give him a chance to really compete and show you what he’s capable of and then you have all the answers to all the questions and you can make your decision moving forward,” he added.
The pressure is on Watson after Monken’s decision, as Sanders waits in the background to replace him if things don’t go as planned. The Browns play their final preseason game against the New England Patriots before the regular NFL season starts.
