As we inch closer to training camps, many people are discussing potential battles that will decide starting jobs. One of the most intriguing ones is the quarterback competition in Cleveland. It appears the competition is between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders, two players at polar opposite points in their careers.
Watson is trying to remain in the NFL after multiple seasons of poor play, injuries, and some off-field issues, while Sanders is trying to show he can be a starting quarterback. Some reports recently surfaced that the Browns were looking to trade Sanders, but one NFL insider does not believe that is the case.
Tom Pelissero Believes Shedeur Sanders Will Remain a Brown
It never made much sense for the Browns to try to trade Sanders, as they drafted him last season for a reason, and giving him another year of development with new head coach Todd Monken could go a long way.
NFL Insider Tom Pelissero spoke on “The Rich Eisen Show” about the Browns’ quarterback situation, and he said, “Anything out there that they are looking to trade him, I would put zero stock in that. If I had to make an educated guess, I’d say he (Sanders) and Deshaun Watson, both are on the team in September.”
The Browns have been looking for a franchise quarterback for a long time. Despite spending multiple first-round picks on the position, they have not found anyone reliable enough to be the face of the franchise.
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Sanders played in eight games last season (7 starts) and was not overly impressive. He completed 56.6% of his passes along with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Despite being named to the Pro Bowl team, he looked far from being a competent starter. According to PFSN’s QB Impact Metric, he ranked as the third-worst quarterback in the league, posting an impact score of 56.7.
As for Watson, he has only played in 19 games over the past five seasons. His inability to remain on the field is a significant problem, and that makes him hard to trust.
On paper, neither option is great. The Browns are in rebuild mode after trading away Myles Garrett, and they should be looking towards the future. That most likely means Sanders will get an opportunity to play this upcoming season, even if Watson starts as QB1.
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They have to find out if Sanders is the guy or if they need to be in the QB market when the 2027 NFL Draft comes around. No matter what the Browns’ roster looks like, they will not go anywhere until they get the quarterback right, and the upcoming season will be quite telling about the franchise’s future.
