The Cleveland Browns still have yet to decide on who their starting quarterback will be Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars next month, but both Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders will get shots to prove themselves during the Browns’ joint practice with the Buffalo Bills this week ahead of preseason Game No. 2 next Saturday.
Cleveland head coach Todd Monken said that the Browns will split first-team reps between the two QBs “as best as we can.”
He said the difficulty is that there won’t be “two similar blocks” of situational offense for each quarterback to run. That means that one QB might get more time during two-minute drill work, while another might see more action under center in third-down scenarios — the primary issue being that it is a joint practice against another NFL team’s defense, not the Browns’ defensive players.
“It’s just what you have to do. It’s the closest you get,” Monken said. “We want to see them compete as much as we can. And both of them had a turnover [in the preseason opener], one was a fumble, but I was really pleased with our quarterback play. … To me, it felt like we are gonna be able to throw the football.”
Deshaun Watson Battled Numbness in Arm During First NFL Action in Nearly 2 Years
GettyQuarterback Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns.
One factor that might have made a difference in Monken’s outlook had it been a bigger deal was a minor injury issue Watson experienced during the game on Saturday.
“It was just my forearm and elbow,” Watson told reporters. “Just a little numbness, but it went away as the game continued to go on. It was just a little funny bone thing.”
Watson had not played in an NFL game of any kind, regular season or preseason, since tearing his Achilles tendon during Week 7 of the 2024 campaign in mid-October of that year.
Widely believed the favorite to win the starting job under Monken, at least for Week 1, Watson is entering the final campaign of a five-year deal with the Browns that will pay him a total of $230 million when all is said and done. Thus far, he has started 19 contests for the team over the first four seasons of that contract, earning a record of 9-10.
Watson completed 11-of-15 passes for 126 yards in a 34-10 loss to the Chicago Bears on Saturday. He also rushed the football three times for four yards and took one sack. Watson turned the football over once via a fumble as well.
Shedeur Sanders Tossed Interception to Bears Defense in Browns’ Preseason Opener
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Sanders, meanwhile, connected on 6-of-11 passes for 79 yards and one interception. He spoke with reporters about his turnover following the contest.
“[It was] the right read. It just slipped,” Sanders explained. “That’s what makes me be mad a little bit because of it. I just didn’t execute the decision. But the right decision was made.”
Meanwhile, third-string quarterback Dillon Gabriel went 5-of-8 for 23 yards and one interception.
Browns Announce Decision on Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders Ahead of Bills Game