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Browns' projected Deshaun Watson decision would be malpractice

The Cleveland Browns made a ton of offseason changes to the offensive side of the ball, completely reshuffling the full offensive line, adding a pair of rookie receivers, and there's still time to add more to the tight end or running back rooms.

However, one thing that stayed roughly the same is the quarterback room. It's still a three-headed competition for the starting job with Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson, and Dillon Gabriel.

The only question is who will be the starter. Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report made his projected starting offense for the Browns.

"Offense... QB: Deshaun Watson," Davenport writes. "The quarterback situation in Cleveland will be a hot topic well into the summer, but if he's anywhere near 100 percent, Deshaun Watson is going to be the guy."

If this projection from Davenport came true, it would be malpractice from the Cleveland front office for multiple reasons.

Why Browns going Watson at QB would be malpractice

Cleveland starting Watson this upcoming season is a very real possibility. The actual QB competition this offseason is almost surely between just Watson and Sanders, with Gabriel the third option.

But if Watson wins the starting job, it would be a complete and total disaster. Watson hasn't shown nearly enough in the last few years to justify giving him the starting job.

There's a much more important reason why this would be malpractice: the Browns hold no incentive to start Watson in both the short and long term.

Watson isn't likely to play well, and even if he does, he's still almost guaranteed not to be worth all they're spending on him. And since he's not going to be around for long, as Cleveland's looking to get out of his deal, his future with the team is bleak.

MORE: Todd Monken reveals QB plan for Browns thats good news for Shedeur Sanders

Sanders, on the other hand, had some struggles, but did show promise. Most importantly, Sanders is also entering year 2 of his rookie deal, meaning the Browns will have 3 more seasons of very cheap control of Sanders.

If a QB on the Browns roster were to turn into both a decent short-term starter and long-term option, it would most likely be Sanders.

His Pro Bowl nod last year was a bit of a fluke, but there was enough promise last year that, in a new offense with a better supporting cast, seeing what Sanders can do for at least one more year is well worth it.

Cleveland going with Watson over Sanders would be malpractice. Sanders is likely just as good in the short-term, and there is significantly more upside with him than not going with Sanders over Watson would be an unexplainable mistake.

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