The Cleveland Browns’ decision to name Deshaun Watson their Week 1 starter over Shedeur Sanders has clearly sparked plenty of debate.
Watson’s inconsistent preseason performances and growing tension with the Browns fan base have only added to the discussion. Former journeyman quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick recently broke down film of both quarterbacks and offered an honest explanation for why Watson got the starting job, but highlighted the flaws holding both signal-callers back.
Ryan Fitzpatrick Breaks Down Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders Film
Watson had a modest outing as the starter against the Chicago Bears, completing 11 of 15 passes for 126 yards. He struggled against Buffalo, going 5-of-12 for 36 yards and an interception in the second half. He was also booed by the home crowd and initially called the reaction “personal” before later clarifying his comments.
Sanders also had a mixed preseason. He went 6-of-11 for 79 yards and an interception against Chicago in the second half before completing 9 of 11 passes for 74 yards, a touchdown, and throwing an interception against Buffalo as a starter.
Fitzpatrick’s film review went beyond the numbers. He pointed to Watson’s deep passing as one of the biggest concerns in his game.
“The hard part is, you put on the film, and there’s some things that Deshaun really regressed at and has not done well. One of them is the deep ball. Non-existent. Every deep ball you see is overthrown or out of bounds. Every single one of them. It was shocking to watch; it was painful to watch,” Fitzpatrick said.
However, Fitzpatrick also explained why Watson still has an advantage over Sanders. “He knows how to do an operation in the NFL; he knows getting the ball out, he knows throwing on time, he knows throwing with anticipation. Those are all things that he does and does well,” he added.
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Fitzpatrick saw more big-play ability from Sanders but also identified an area where the second-year QB needs to improve. “He makes more plays downfield, with some of the throws and scrambling outside the pocket, but rarely is he playing on time. I think this is probably why he lost the job to Deshaun,” Fitzpatrick noted.
Fitzpatrick’s assessment suggests the Browns may have valued Watson’s experience and ability to operate within the offense over Sanders’ more unpredictable playmaking.
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Watson will start the opening games against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, giving him an opportunity to prove he can still be an effective NFL quarterback.
At the same time, Sanders’ performances have given Browns fans reason to remain interested in the rookie.
With Watson’s deep-ball struggles already drawing attention and the fan base eager to see Sanders, the veteran enters the season under significant pressure to deliver the goods.
