Shedeur Sanders’ first preseason appearance for the Cleveland Browns this year did little to settle the quarterback battle with Deshaun Watson. The veteran got the start against the Chicago Bears and played the entire first half, while Sanders entered after halftime and stayed into the fourth quarter after a possession began late in the third.
Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson Fail To Settle QB Debate
Sanders had some impressive moments today, including a 35-yard completion to Luke Floriea on third-and-13. However, the end was not ideal for him. With the Browns pushing toward midfield, Sanders floated a pass over the middle that was picked off by Beanie Bishop early in the fourth quarter. He finished 6-of-11, 79 yards, and an interception.
Watson also looked sharp early in the preseason opener, returning to the field after a long time because of an Achilles injury. He connected with KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston and also uncorked an accurate ball to Harold Fannin Jr. against a blitz, though Fannin couldn’t hang on for the catch. Watson’s stats for today were 11-of-15 for 126 yards, 1 lost fumble, and a passer rating of 98.2.
The performance from both immediately brought the Browns’ QB competition back into focus. PFN NFL Draft expert Ian Cummings was particularly critical of Sanders’ mechanics.
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“Shedeur Sanders had a few good throws today, but the INT was unfortunately emblematic of his main flaws,” Cummings said. “Lackadaisical dropback footwork leads to him being behind in the concept, drifting past optimal depth.”
He then delivered a blunt prediction on Cleveland’s quarterback situation. “Cleveland’s QB of the future comes in ‘27 imo (in my opinion).”
Shedeur Sanders had a few good throws today, but the INT was unfortunately emblematic of his main flaws.
Lackadaisical dropback footwork leads to him being behind in the concept, drifting past optimal depth.
Cleveland’s QB of the future comes in ‘27 imo. pic.twitter.com/40xLPyeeC0
— Ian Cummings (@IC_Draft) August 15, 2026
PFN’s chief content officer Ryan Gosling wrote, “Shedeur Sanders clearly has more upside compared to Deshaun Watson. What do the Browns really have to lose? Start Shedeur and move on.”
But not every analyst was ready to hand the job to Sanders. PFN NFL analyst Jacob Infante said Watson “thoroughly outplayed” Sanders and pointed out that Watson did so against players higher on the Bears’ depth chart.
“I still think you start Sanders for the upside factor if you’re the Browns, but not a great start for his preseason today,” Infante said.
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PFN Senior Director of Operations Oliver Hodgkinson took a completely different approach and mocked the quality of quarterbacks on the Browns by writing, “Cleveland Browns should give Blake Horvath a call and get him to run the triple option with Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson instead of whatever this QB competition is.”
Cleveland Browns should give Blake Horvath a call and get him to run the triple option with Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson instead of whatever this QB competition is.
— Oliver Hodgkinson (@hodgkinsonsport) August 15, 2026
PFN fantasy football analyst Kyle Soppe also appeared ready to make a call on the competition after the first four quarters of preseason football.
“We’ve been wondering about this Cleveland QB situation, and after four quarters of August football, I’ve come to a conclusion,” Soppe wrote while sharing a GIF which said, “The limit does not exist.”
We’ve been wondering about this Cleveland QB situation and after four quarters of August football, I’ve reached a conclusion: pic.twitter.com/VK8hb05NEA
— Kyle Soppe (@KyleSoppePFN) August 15, 2026
Jason Katz, who is also a fantasy football analyst for PFN, went even further to say: “I’m ready to call the Browns QB competition in favor of Deshaun Watson.”
The playing field was not exactly level against Chicago, though. The Bears did not use their starters in the first half, while Cleveland was missing several depth players after halftime. Here are both Sanders’ and Watson’s stats on PFN’s QB metric.
Deshaun Watson’s 2024 season vs. Shedeur Sanders’ 2025 season in PFN’s QB Impact metric 🥴
Who should be the Browns’ QB1? pic.twitter.com/ybgzz861j6
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) August 15, 2026
The Browns will give Sanders the first quarterback reps in their next preseason game against the Buffalo Bills.
Cleveland has plenty to evaluate before the regular season. Sanders has the upside that several analysts still believe could make him the future, while Watson showed enough in his first-half appearance to keep the competition alive.
