Shedeur Sanders turned to a familiar three-word message after Deshaun Watson strengthened his grip on the Cleveland Browns’ starting job.
“THANK YOU GOD,” Sanders wrote on social media following Cleveland’s Week 2 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
It is a message Sanders has repeated throughout his career. This time, it came as his wait for another starting opportunity appeared likely to continue. Watson delivered the performance he needed Sunday, giving the Browns good reason to stick with him heading into their home opener.
Sanders’ post drew thousands of likes and a stream of responses, with fans offering encouragement to the backup quarterback.
“Cant wait to see you ball out when you get your chance, only a matter of time,” one fan wrote.
Another added: “Delayed not Denied! Trust me the moment you get in the game we will all be ready. Gods Timing is PERFECT TIMING.”
Others wondered whether the message hinted at an opportunity outside Cleveland.
“What are you trying to tell us? You have an opportunity somewhere else?” one commenter asked.
“Whats happening is he getting traded to the Falcons,” another wrote.
Deshaun Watson’s Breakout Pushes Back Sanders’ Opportunity
Before kickoff, Ian Rapoport reported that Cleveland could reconsider its quarterback situation after Watson’s first two starts. Another poor outing would have strengthened the argument for giving Sanders a look. Instead, Watson helped Cleveland rally for a 23-19 victory and quieted the immediate calls for a change.
Watson completed 24 of 30 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Both scores came in the second half, with rookie Denzel Boston turning a short pass into a 55-yard touchdown before Blake Whiteheart caught the go-ahead 17-yard score late in the fourth quarter.
Watson finished with a 121.9 passer rating and added 22 rushing yards. That was a substantial improvement from the opener, when Cleveland lost 34-10 to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Watson was sacked five times.
For Sanders, the result makes an immediate promotion harder to envision. Watson gave the coaching staff a productive performance to build around, leaving Sanders waiting for circumstances to change.
That does not settle Sanders’ long-term future in Cleveland. But it does make the timing of his next opportunity less clear.
Todd Monken Sees More Growth Ahead for Watson
Browns coach Todd Monken believes Watson can keep improving now that he has the first-team work to himself.
Monken acknowledged that the summer competition helped Sanders but may have slowed the preparation of the quarterback who ultimately won the job.
“While we were doing the quarterback competition, he split reps with the ones for a while, and that benefited Shedeur, but it maybe didn’t benefit the guy that ended up being the starter,” Monken said. “There’s no way around that. I mean, that’s obvious, that you want to get the guys reps with the guys you’re playing with.
“And I was happy for Deshaun. He was our offensive player of the game. He made a number of plays with his legs, played with confidence, he let it rip. You could see the difference from week one to week two, and I think we’re just going to continue to grow together.”
That confidence gives Watson some breathing room. It does not make one good afternoon a lasting answer at quarterback.
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Breaks Silence After Bad News