The Cleveland Browns finally settled their quarterback competition, but naming Deshaun Watson the starter did not end the debate. For Nick Pedone, it may have created a new problem for Shedeur Sanders instead.
Nick Pedone Says Browns Could Put Shedeur Sanders in a Hole
Pedone argued Sunday on “92.3 The Fan” that Cleveland risks asking Sanders to rescue the season later without giving him the first-team practice work needed to be ready.
“It’s unfair to Shedeur at that point,” Pedone said. “Without getting reps in practice, which backups really don’t with the starters. Those are all going to go to Deshaun once the regular season is here.”
Pedone’s concern is not simply that Sanders should have won the job. It is what could happen if Cleveland gives Watson several weeks to prove himself, then turns to Sanders after losses have already piled up.
START PREPARING: PFN’s Free Fantasy Draft Simulator
“Does this feel like they’re being set up for failure? Yeah, it kind of does,” Pedone said. “Because now if this Deshaun thing is at minimum a four-week project, well, that’s an even deeper hole that Shedeur might be tasked with trying to dig them out of… Like what a mess.”
“It’s unfair to Shedeur at that point. If this Deshaun thing is, at minimum, a four-week project, that’s an even deeper hole that Shedeur might be tasked with digging them out of. What a mess…”
🚨 @NickPedone12 to @RuiterWrongFAN on the #Browns QB situation and where this… pic.twitter.com/1BvyvfbF2F
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) August 30, 2026
That concern is amplified by Cleveland’s opening schedule. The Browns begin with road games at Jacksonville and Tampa Bay, then host Carolina before facing Pittsburgh four days later on Thursday Night Football.
Pedone specifically questioned the fairness of potentially asking Sanders to beat Carolina and then prepare for the Steelers on a short week.
Watson Gets First Chance After Winning Browns QB1 Job
Head coach Todd Monken said Watson earned the job based on the full offseason, training camp, preseason, and joint-practice body of work.
Watson completed 16 of 27 preseason passes for 162 yards with no touchdowns and 1 interception. Sanders finished 15 of 22 for 153 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions.
BE THE GM OF YOUR FAVORITE TEAM: PFN’s Free NFL Mock Draft Simulator
Sanders also enters Year 2 trying to improve on an uneven rookie season. He threw for 1,400 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions across eight games, finishing No. 37 among 38 qualifying quarterbacks with a 63.0 PFN QB Impact grade.
Pedone and other Browns analysts have consistently opposed returning Watson to the starting role. Daryl Ruiter, who was sitting alongside Pedone, in his latest criticism, focused less on the summer competition and more on the consequences if Cleveland changes course after a difficult start.
“I have been very consistent in saying that I see nothing good coming from starting Deshaun Watson,” Ruiter said. “And shout out to the Browns for once again not reading the room.”
Cleveland has publicly framed Watson as its starter, not as a week-to-week placeholder. If that changes, Pedone believes the organization cannot pretend that Sanders will simply step in, fully prepared, after spending weeks practicing as QB2.
