Former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders has continued to split first-team reps with veteran Deshaun Watson during the Cleveland Browns’ training camp. Sanders and Watson are engaged in one of the league’s tightest QB1 battles during the offseason.
Kurt Benkert Tabs Shedeur Sanders to Be Browns’ QB1
Former NFL quarterback Kurt Benkert commented by sharing a clip on X of Sanders throwing a dime in training that ended in a spectacular touchdown. The former Green Bay Packers quarterback urged the Browns to install Sanders as their QB1 and move on from Watson.
“Shedeur is the guy for this team. They need to stamp it and move on from Deshaun,” Benkert wrote.
Shedeur is the guy for this team.
They need to stamp it and move on from Deshaun. pic.twitter.com/QR0ECPZOce
— Kurt Benkert (@KurtBenkert) August 4, 2026
The Browns signed Watson to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract in 2022 after making a trade for him from the Houston Texans.
His career in Cleveland has been stop-start, missing 11 games in his first season due to a suspension stemming from allegations of sexual assault and misconduct made by more than two dozen women.
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The next season, Watson played just six games, sidelined first by a rotator cuff strain and then by a season-ending shoulder fracture that required surgery. His absence continued in 2024 when he ruptured his Achilles tendon, causing him to miss the last 10 games of the season.
Watson then missed the entire 2025 season after re-rupturing his Achilles tendon. In his four-year career in Cleveland, Watson has played just 19 games.
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Super Bowl Champion Calls for Sanders to Be Handed Browns’ Starting Role
During Monday’s segment of the “Speakeasy” podcast, former NFL running back LeSean McCoy advocated for Browns coach Todd Monken to name Sanders the team’s starter next season.
“It’s time for Shedeur Sanders to take over the keys of the car for the Cleveland Browns,” McCoy said. “I mean, I understand money matters most, so I’ll never go against that, right? I’m a businessman, [if] I invested this money, I want some results, but I think if we are waiting for these results, it’s not going to happen for Deshaun Watson.
“Shedeur Sanders is getting better and better and better. And the best thing about Shedeur is the offseason. He could have been anywhere in the world. One of the highest-paid jerseys. He’s got rap songs. He got ice. He can do anything. You know what he did? He took his (expletive) to Cleveland to work out and learn a new playbook. So I know what Shedeur Sanders is doing. He’s showing his growth, even in his interviews, bro.”
Sanders earned the Browns’ QB1 job after Joe Flacco got traded to the Cincinnati Bengals while Dillon Gabriel suffered a concussion. He earned the league’s second-worst PFN QB Impact score of 63.0 after tallying 1,400 passing yards on 56.6% completion, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions and leading the Browns to a 3-4 record as a starter.
