The pattern of Watson taking every first-team rep across multiple consecutive practices has not gone unnoticed nationally, and one of the more outspoken voices in sports media used his platform to question the move. Shannon Sharpe has never shied away from sharing his opinion, and he is raising a big question as to why Shedeur Sanders’ first-team reps are being taken away from him.
“I’m just trying to figure out why you want to see [Deshaun Watson] in personnel groupings when it’s [Shedeur Sanders’] day? When it comes to his day, now you can see. What about tomorrow? We can’t do these groupings tomorrow? We’re supposed to alternate. You didn’t want to see him with the group tomorrow, huh?” Sharpe asked.
“I’m just trying to figure out why you want to see him (Watson) in personnel groupings when it’s my day? When it’s his day, now you can see,” – @ShannonSharpe reacts to the Browns giving Deshaun Watson all the 1st team reps on what was supposed to be Shedeur’s day. pic.twitter.com/qa93oit6lX
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 9, 2026
For the first eight practices of camp, Watson and Sanders alternated days atop the first team offense on a fairly consistent basis, giving both quarterbacks comparable opportunity to work with the top personnel groupings against the top defensive units. When that rotation suddenly shifted to give Watson extended, exclusive time with the starters on what was originally supposed to be Sanders’ turn, it created the kind of optics that invite scrutiny.
Working with the first-team allows a quarterback to build chemistry with the actual players he would take the field with in a real game, something that carries developmental value beyond just accumulating pass attempts.
Cleveland has maintained throughout camp that the competition remains genuinely open, and Monken himself specifically flagged the ten practice mark as an internal checkpoint for evaluating where things stood. Still, there is a growing perception outside the building that Watson has gained real momentum.
With the preseason opener against Chicago now less than a week away, Browns fans will not have to wait much longer for actual game action to help settle at least some of the debate that has surrounded this quarterback battle throughout camp.
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