It appears an early favorite has emerged in the Cleveland Browns' quarterback battle between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson.
Sanders started in seven games for the Browns last season, completing 56.6% of his pass attempts for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. As for Watson, he has only appeared in 19 games since 2022. The former Pro Bowl quarterback has thrown for 3,365 yards with 19 touchdowns during that stretch.
Before the Browns kicked off voluntary minicamp this April, JW Johnson of Haslam Sports Group said Watson would be given a fair chance to start for the Browns.
“Nobody is getting handed the keys to the car today,” Johnson said. “They’re going to come in and compete. Deshaun is coming off a major injury. He’s done well and has battled back. It’s nice to see him back. … Shedeur and Dillon had ups and downs during their rookie years. Now with a new head coach, let’s see how they come in, compete and understand the offense. I think it’s open competition and we are excited about it.”
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Well, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the early indication is that Watson is the favorite to start Week 1 for the Browns.
Although both Sanders and Watson received first-team reps at the start of voluntary minicamp, the former Clemson star spent more time under center.
Is it an unfair situation for Shedeur?
NFL fans are convinced the Browns aren't giving Sanders a legitimate chance to win the Week 1 job.
"Just a nasty league," one fan said.
"This league is disgraceful man," a second fan declared.
"Shedeur should be QB1 even if Watson is better now," another fan said. "Shedeur as QB1 would be good for football."
"This can’t be a serious!! It’s either to build Watson trade value or keep the grips on Shedeur cus the Browns use this strategy to keep him humble but he will be the starter," a social media user wrote.
It's hard to ignore that Watson has a $46 million base salary for the 2026 season. That could play a factor in the Browns' decision.
Luckily for Sanders, he has plenty of time to impress Todd Monken and the coaching staff in Cleveland.
Do you think Sanders will eventually earn the starting gig?
