Shedeur Sanders’ arm strength has become an unexpected talking point in the Browns’ quarterback battle.
With Sanders bang in the middle of a tussle with Deshaun Watson, attention has now shifted to what might give one signal-caller the edge over the other. While some reports have claimed it might come down to arm strength, Browns reporter Tony Grossi pushed back on the idea that Sanders might have an upper hand in this regard.
Former New England Patriots champion Asante Samuel, though, is not convinced.
Tony Grossi Challenges Shedeur Sanders Take as Asante Samuel Points to Todd Monken
It all started when NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe broke down the details of Cleveland’s preseason QB plan on “The Insiders.”
Browns HC Todd Monken sets his preseason QB plan: Deshaun Watson starts Week 1. Shedeur Sanders starts Week 2.
Expect Watson to play about a half Saturday. Shedeur to play some in second half.
Here’s some insight on what Browns will use to decide QB1 battle winner: pic.twitter.com/pQ5xfa9n5v
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) August 12, 2026
Watson will now get the start in the first pre-season game against the Chicago Bears, while Sanders takes over in the following game versus the Buffalo Bills.
Wolfe opened a debate about Sanders’ arm strength that drew a sharp response from Grossi, and an even sharper one from Samuel, who jumped into the thread with a short, pointed reply: “Todd Monken says otherwise.”
The Patriots legend didn’t need too many words to make his case. By pointing back to Monken’s evaluation, he suggested the debate was less about Wolfe’s reporting and more about whether the Browns’ coaching staff got it wrong.
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“I talked to their general manager, Andrew Barry, last week. He told me this decision is going to be decided on two factors: playmaking and the operation inside the huddle,” Wolfe revealed.
Watson has the edge in experience, Wolfe believes, since he operates faster and causes head coach Todd Monken “less anxiety.” But he also noted that Sanders currently has the stronger arm and has protected the ball better in camp.
“When you look at these two quarterbacks, Deshaun Watson is the veteran. He’s more experienced in the operation. What I mean by that, the guy who can get out of the huddle quicker, who can get to plays quicker, who causes Todd Monken less anxiety, whereas Shedeur has the stronger arm at this point,” he said.
That last point didn’t sit well with longtime Browns reporter Grossi. He quote-tweeted Wolfe’s clip with a blunt correction. “Um, Shedeur’s arm is not really stronger than Watson’s,” Grossi wrote. “That’s a new narrative.”
But Samuel had a notable counterpoint. He pointed out that the Browns’ head coach believes Sanders does, in fact, have the stronger arm.
It wasn’t Samuel’s first take on Sanders, who ranked second-last in PFSN’s 2025 QB Impact ratings. Just days earlier, on his podcast “Say What Needs To Be Said,” Samuel got into a much longer breakdown of Shedeur’s struggles.
He argued that Monken genuinely wants Sanders to succeed but that the rookie hasn’t capitalized on his chances.
“I really believe Todd Monken liked Shedeur, and he wants to see Shedeur be the star,” Samuel said. “The problem is Shedeur isn’t taking advantage of his opportunity.”
Todd Monken says otherwise https://t.co/enG7lnjK1p
— Asante Samuel (@pick_six22) August 13, 2026
He didn’t stop there, pointing to the mental clock every quarterback has to beat.
“Quarterbacks have a 3.2-second clock in their heads that they’re supposed to get the ball out of their hands,” Samuel explained, adding that Sanders’ pre-existing habits are proving tough to shake and are starting to wear on the coaching staff’s patience.
Monken has actually praised Sanders publicly on multiple occasions, and Sanders has had strong practice stretches, some of them coming during weeks when Watson looked shakier.
Watson, for his part, is working his way back from a torn Achilles that wiped out his entire 2025 season, and questions about his instincts under pressure haven’t gone away.
It could still be another 10 days or so before Cleveland names its QB1 for the regular season, but the sideline noise around the decision isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
