A free-for-all! It feels like the Browns are headed this way, a room filled with three returning options in Sanders, Watson, and Gabriel — plus another one (or two) added to the room for good measure and good (is that the right word?) competition.
There are fans who believe in Sanders, and he did show some flashes in his rookie season, but he was highly inconsistent, and the numbers don’t look great. Sanders threw seven touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and ranked 41st of 42 eligible quarterbacks in EPA per attempt (only Jets undrafted rookie Brady Cook was worse).
Gabriel threw seven touchdowns and two interceptions, but also ranked 40th in EPA per attempt, and his off-target throw percentage (13.5 percent) ranked 35th. He does not look like a starting-caliber quarterback.
That’s not to say Fields is looking that way these days either. After playing perhaps the best he has in his Jets debut against the Steelers, he struggled immensely, passing for fewer than 100 yards four times. By the end of the season, Fields seemed scared to throw the ball and struggled to work through his progressions. But there is talent — and his mobility is undoubtedly a weapon, something that few are better at weaponizing than Monken. Fields won’t cost much at this point and, as a bonus, he’s a beloved figure in Ohio thanks to his time as a Buckeye.