Deshaun Watson appeared to have taken the lead over Shedeur Sanders in the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback competition on Saturday. Sanders was projected to take the first-team reps for the day, but in a surprising change of events, Watson wound up taking all the reps and Dillon Gabriel even ate into Sanders’ second-team reps.
It’s the first notable indication that Watson is going to win the job, but nothing is set in stone just yet. Another thing Watson has going for him is the fact that new head coach Todd Monken wasn’t here for all the recent horrible years of his Browns tenure, which The Athletic’s Zac Jackson believes could work heavily in his favor.
In his recent article, Jackson said the likelihood is that the Browns look for the next franchise QB in the 2027 draft, but Monken likely doesn’t care about Watson’s past four years in Cleveland and won’t factor that into his decision-making process.
“The Browns probably will look to find their quarterback of the future in the 2027 draft. But Monken appears to be leaning toward one more run with Watson, 30, a decision that indicates Monken is unburdened by recent history of Watson and the Cleveland franchise,” Jackson wrote.
Monken is 60 years old and getting his first shot as a head coach, so he knows as well as anybody this could be his only shot. That means it would be understandable if he favored the veteran QB even if it’s a veteran as unreliable as Watson has been.
On paper, Watson also has the skill set that would fit better into Monken’s offense. He is more mobile than Sanders and gets the ball out faster, but ultimately, this could all come down to what happens in the preseason.
If Watson flops, it will be easier for everyone in the organization to wipe their hands clean and move on. Starting him opens up the slim possibility of him playing well enough to be traded. Or maybe, just maybe, he can find a way to rediscover the magic he used to have and win this team some games.
NEXT: Analyst Pushes Back On How Browns QB Battle Is Being Judged
