Shedeur Sanders will not open the season as the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback. And head coach Todd Monken has no intention of turning the decision into a weekly debate.
Monken named Deshaun Watson the starter on Monday, ending a competition that stretched through the offseason, training camp and the first two preseason games.
The decision was an immediate setback for Sanders. Monken delivered more bad news by making it clear the Browns are prepared to give Watson time rather than reevaluating the depth chart after every game.
“We’re not anticipating this being a week-to-week thing,” Monken said. “Again, I think Shedeur has done a great job, come a long ways, and we’re excited about his future, but this is not a week-to-week decision.”
Monken said Watson remained ahead for most of the competition, although Sanders significantly narrowed the gap.
“Ultimately, we felt over the course of training camp and the offseason that he was ahead of Shedeur,” Monken said. “Shedeur has closed that gap, for sure, and that’s a credit to him, and we look forward to Shedeur continuing to grow as a player.”
Shedeur Sanders Faces Limited Path to Field in Cleveland
GettyShedeur Sanders will not be the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns in Week 1.
Monken’s commitment leaves Sanders with a limited path to playing time in the immediate future. There had been theories that Watson could enter the season on a short leash, especially with the Browns opening with consecutive road games against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Those questions intensified after Watson was loudly booed during Cleveland’s preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills. Watson called the reception “personal” and “disrespectful” before repeatedly saying he did not know how he would handle the possibility of playing what felt like “17 away games.”
Monken said those comments did not factor into his decision. However, Cleveland’s road-heavy start was part of the evaluation. The Browns play six of their first nine games away from home.
“I’m just worried about the first game. It’s really about being on the road, operation silent cadence, right? Opening the season, it just felt like that was the right way to go,” Monken said. “And that wasn’t the only criteria, it was just a piece of it.”
Shedeur Sanders Handles Browns Decision With Class
Sanders did not sulk or push back when Monken informed him of the decision. Instead, he responded with the same positivity he has tried to bring to the franchise throughout his second season.
“He was awesome,” Monken said. “I mean, you talk about somebody that really understands the long game. What are we really in this for? What am I in it for? To have the Browns be an organization that people aspire to be. The long game. Where do we want to be in the long term? And he understands that as well as a quarterback, right? Where he was at, where he’s at now, where he wants to get to. That is what’s so awesome about Shedeur understanding that.”
Monken met with Sanders at length before announcing the decision. Sanders’ reaction reinforced the coach’s belief that the young quarterback will continue improving behind the scenes.
“He had was a smile on his face because he understands what really is in front of him,” Monken said. “He’s going to work his butt off to get better.”
The Browns have one preseason game left on their schedule against the New England Patriots. Sanders and Watson will not play in that game.
Browns Deal Shedeur Sanders Another Blow After QB1 Snub