The Cleveland Browns’ QB1 battle between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson has continued deep into training camp, as neither has distinguished himself as a clear frontrunner. Sanders finished his rookie NFL season as the Browns’ starter, and Watson’s return from a long-term injury has complicated the team’s QB1 picture.
Analyst Gets Candid About Shedeur Sanders’ QB1 Battle
During Monday’s segment of “The Ken Carman Show With Anthony Lima,” analyst Daryl Ruiter gave a blunt reality check to Sanders about his credentials in the Browns’ QB1 battle against Watson.
“Deshaun Watson has not been good in this training camp. Yes, he’s had glimpses. So has Shedeur,” Ruiter said. “But if Shedeur can’t beat out Deshaun Watson, can we all just take a step back from the emotions of our fandom, and whatever it is that is going on, and just think, ‘If Deshaun hasn’t been that great, maybe Shedeur hasn’t been great enough if he can’t beat out Deshaun.'”
“This might be the best opportunity for Shedeur Sanders to win a starting job in the NFL,” Ruiter added. “If he can’t beat out Watson, maybe he just isn’t ready to be an everyday starting QB, or maybe he’s not doing something that makes Todd Monken and the rest of the organization comfortable enough to put him out there Week 1 against Jacksonville, because this is about trying to win football games at least early in the season… The Browns are not trying to make Shedeur Sanders fail.”
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Since his return, Watson has had mixed performances during the Browns’ OTAs, minicamps, and training camp and has even been booed by the team’s fans during open practice sessions. Since signing a lucrative five-year, $230 million contract with the Browns from the Houston Texans in 2022, Watson has played only 19 games.
On the other hand, Sanders has battled adversity to become a contender for the QB1 job after starting last season third on the depth chart. Joe Flacco’s departure and Dillon Gabriel’s concussion vaulted him to the QB1 job, and he led the Browns to a 3-4 record as a starter.
In an interview with “USA TODAY,” coach Todd Monken addressed the Browns’ intense QB1 battle.
“It’s close,” Monken said. “People somehow think that, like, I have some hidden agenda, or like there’s some preconceived notion. Is that what they think I would do? I would just split the reps if I didn’t think it was a competition? That would be really silly. If I thought one was the starter, I’d give him the ‘one’ reps.”
Sanders tallied 1,400 passing yards on 56.6% completion, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions for the Browns last season, earning a PFN QB Impact score of 63.0, the second-worst in the NFL.
