The first round could fairly be called a decision in favor of Deshaun Watson. Shedeur Sanders, though, has a chance to deliver the equalizer with the second round this week.
No one believed that the Browns’ quarterback competition was going to be settled in their preseason opener at the Chicago Bears. It was just the latest piece of a much bigger puzzle that will eventually provide enough evodence for coach Todd Monken to make a final decision.
“Well, again, I did feel going in the last game that it was relatively close in terms of both having an opportunity at the starting position,” Monken said on a Zoom call Aug. 16. “So it would be unfair to not go into the next game and allow Shedeur that opportunity, albeit a different team, certainly at home. There’s no guarantee that the same players will be playing this game, but it’s the closest you have. And we owe it to both players who have really handled it well and have competed at a high level.”
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To that end, Watson did well, completing 10 of his first 11 passes, with the one incompletion being a drop. He finished 11-of-15 for 126 yards with a fumble on a sack and a 98.2 passer rating.
This week provides Sanders with plenty of opportunities to make his own case. He played just the third quarter against the Bears, completing 6-of-11 passes for 79 yards with an interception and a 39.6 rating.
“Oh nah, I’m just excited getting reps,” Sanders said after the Bears game. “Just excited getting reps. Definitely. I’m excited for this week. I’m excited to see the game. I love being able to see stuff and be able to recognize it and get it in person. That’s what makes me so excited about. And it opened up a new perspective, so I’m extremely happy.
Sanders, in some ways, gets a bit of an advantage this week because of the fact there will be both a joint practice Aug. 20 and a preseason game he will start and play a full half against the Bills on Aug. 22. It’s also a week where he’s slated to get the No. 1 offensive reps in two of the three practices leading up to the joint practice as they continue their alternating series.
Monken pushed back slightly on that notion, much the same way he did when he made the well-documented switch for the Aug. 8 training camp practice to give Watson No. 1 reps. The Browns have been charting the specific snaps of each quarterback, and he added conversations with quarterbacks coach Mike Bajakian have played a large role as well.
“We’re pretty balanced at this point, within reason,” Monken said. “I mean, it’s not going to be perfect. So if you’re going to alternate it, well, first of all, tomorrow we’ll be in shells, we’ll go an hour and 45 minutes. Wednesday, we’ll go in shorts and get a lot of red zone work. So really Deshaun going Tuesday in a longer practice, we’ll get a few more reps in those days. And then we’re going to try to split the reps.
“So there wasn’t really a concerted effort. It’s just you were going to have to decide who goes what days and who goes the others and how we get it as close as we can again to giving them an opportunity to let their talent shine.”
Monken said he was going to be speaking with Buffalo coach Joe Brady shortly after he ended the Zoom call to discuss the format of the joint practice. The one day means there’s only so much that can get accomplished because of time contraints, making the planning of the practice even more important, especially when you’re looking at a quarterback competition like the one the Browns have going on.
An advantage for that planning is that both Monken and Brady are offensive-centric head coaches. Monken already had an idea for how they could maximize the reps for both quarterbacks, basically drilling down within each practice period and alternating at that level.
That makes each snap even more valuable in some ways for the quarterbacks.
“Yeah, just again, take advantage of those opportunities,” Watson said after the Bears game. “Whenever my number is called and I’m the guy out there leading the group, you’ve got to continue to just find ways to get better, find success and be positive with it. So yeah, you just got to take it one day at a time.”
Sanders’ biggest opportunity comes two days later when the Browns play the Bills in a preseason game. That’s where the roles will flip from what they were in Chicago, where Watson started and played the full first half before Sanders replaced him for the third quarter.
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The last week-and-a-half or so, if you were going to describe the competition in terms of vibes, the vibes have trended toward Watson, basically since Aug. 5. That’s after Sanders had them both as the offseason program was ending in June and the first week of training camp.
Sanders, though, has a real chance to make up ground this week. If he does, then it certainly extends the competition into the final week of the preseason, which includes a Thursday night prime time home game against the New England Patriots.
“Well, he’s improved so much,” Monken said. “I mean, he really has in terms of climbing the pocket, working through his progressions. I think that’s a big thing. … And then the operation. It’s still a part of it. Getting in the huddle, getting lined up, getting the call. So does Deshaun. They’re both in the same manner, so we can stack plays together. We did a good job.”
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ. Sign up for Browns Insider newsletter at https://profile.beaconjournal.com/newsletters/browns-insider/
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Where Shedeur Sanders’ opportunity exists this week in Browns QB derby
Reporting by Chris Easterling, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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By Chris Easterling, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
