The Cleveland Browns are rolling with Deshaun Watson as the starting quarterback, but he will be on a short leash and under significant pressure to perform beginning in Week 1.
Jason LaCanfora of Casino.org reported on Tuesday, September 1 that Watson will have between four and six games to prove he’s still an NFL-caliber starter before the Browns turn to second-year signal-caller Shedeur Sanders.
“Inside information at the Browns suggests that Deshaun Watson’s time as the starting quarterback is under serious pressure, with news stating that he has only four-to-six weeks to impress before Shedeur Sanders gets his opportunity,” LaCanfora wrote.
Shedeur Sanders Suggested as Expendable if Browns Pursue Joe Milton III via NFL Waiver Wire
Cleveland is one of just a few teams that kept four quarterbacks through the cutdown process over the weekend. Technically, the Browns have just three signal-callers on their 53-man roster, as Dillon Gabriel will start the season on injured reserve (IR) with a back injury that will cost him at least the first four games.
Gabriel still reads like the team’s most likely trade candidate given that the current Browns’ QB3 is sixth-round rookie Taylen Green who is ultra-athletic and could have future upside.
That said, Jared Mueller of SB Nation’s Dawgs By Nature suggested a scenario in which the Browns might part ways with Sanders in a drastic pivot should Cleveland decide to pursue former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Joe Milton III. Dallas waived Milton on Monday.
“Given Milton’s athletic ability and big arm, he fits HC Todd Monken’s traits for a quarterback,” Mueller wrote. “While Cleveland could choose to claim Milton and waive a player at another position, that seems unlikely. Instead, the addition of Milton would likely lead to the departure of either Shedeur Sanders or the rookie Green. With Milton’s experience and Green entering his first season, Sanders seems like the odd man out if the Browns were to claim Milton.”
Cleveland is currently No. 6 in the league’s waiver wire order and might have the opportunity to claim Milton on Tuesday, even with four QBs still connected to the organization.
Browns Need to Start Shedeur Sanders This Season if They Ever Hope to Move on Absent Backlash
It is hard to fashion the Browns making such an unpopular decision, such as waiving or trading Sanders would be, after already inspiring the wrath of a huge swath of its fanbase for naming Watson the starting QB over Sanders in the first place.
Sanders started the final seven games of last season and had some moderate successes during training camp and the preseason. He remains clearly the most popular of the QB options in Cleveland, and if the Browns ever do want to move on from him without creating an uproar, the team is going to have to give Sanders another real shot at the starting job.
Should Watson fall short, then Sanders replace him and follow suit, Cleveland is liable to head into next offseason with Green in its back pocket as a beacon of hope and two first-round picks in the 2027 draft to try and find a franchise quarterback in traditional fashion.
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