Will this be the final week of the quarterback competition?
BEREA, Ohio -- With 13 training camp practices and one preseason game in the books, the Cleveland Browns open competition for the starting quarterback position is still ongoing between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders, but it soon could be coming to and end, as soon as this week.
The Browns practice Monday through Wednesday this week and then welcome the Bills to Berea for a joint practice on Thursday. The two teams will play in the second preseason game on Saturday at Huntington Bank Field.
There is a good chance that Todd Monken will make his decision at quarterback after the Bills game on Saturday, even though he might not announce it publicly.
Monken had indicated that whichever quarterback started against the Bears, the other would likely start the second preseason game against the Bills, the following week.
After the first preseason game with the Bears, Monken said he was encouraged by what he saw from Watson.
"It was awesome," Monken said after the game. "It was so cool to watch him play. I get all of the frustration by fans, himself. But for him to come back and work like he did is an unbelievable credit to him. And then to go out there, he was having fun today. And that is so cool. And I thought he really functioned at a high level. Certainly we don't want to be taking timeouts. We sure as heck can't take delay of games, OK? But it was fun watching him play and watching us put the next step forward and see where we're at."
Watson led a 10-play, 86-yard scoring drive on the next possession, a series that was capped by a 14-yard touchdown run from rookie wide receiver KC Concepcion. Watson turned the ball over on his fourth drive after he was strip-sacked on fourth-and-2, and the Bears recovered. His final two possessions resulted in punts.
Watson finished 11-of-15 for 126 yards and a QB rating of 98.2.
Sanders started the third quarter and had three series into the fourth quarter, completing 6-of-11 passes for 79 yards and one interception.
Monken laid out the plan with the quarterbacks going into this week, as of Sunday afternoon, pending a meeting with Bills coach Joe Brady.
"We're going to go Shadeur Monday and Wednesday and DeShaun Tuesday, Thursday, but Thursday's really both," Monken said in a zoom call on Sunday.
"I'm meeting with (Bills coach) Joe Brady here, so it's just trying to get blocks set up in each."
Monken said on Sunday that the plan is still for Watson and Sanders to split the first team reps in the joint practice with the Bills on Thursday and that Sanders will start next Saturday's game with the Bills and play the first half with Watson playing the third quarter.
"Again, I did feel going into last game that it was relatively close in terms of both having an opportunity at the starting position, so it would be unfair to not go into the next game and give Shedeur that same opportunity," Monken said. "Albeit a different team, certainly at home. There's no guarantee the same players will be playing in this game, but it's the closest you have, and we owe it to both players, who have handled it well and competed at a high level."
Monken said that Sanders has grown in his development and was asked what he needs to show this week in practice and the game.
"He's improved so much," Monken said. "I mean he really has in terms of climbing the pocket and working through his progressions. Even on the one he threw to 81 (Luke Floriea) in the slot, like he drifted too deep. We caught them in the blitz, but they weren't even close.
"He created some of his own pressure," he said. "There are things, and operational, 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. Maybe the most positive thing we did was we overcame some penalties — we overcame a first-and-25, we overcame a couple other penalties, and we hit that big third-and-13 that Shedeur did. So how can we play cleaner at all positions, and certainly with him, how can he play cleaner?"
The Greetham Angle wrote on Aug. 10
After the coaches met over the weekend, we would not be surprised if Monken announces on Monday that Watson will start Saturday's game against the Bears, but that the competition is ongoing and Sanders will get the first team reps on Monday since he did not on Saturday.
That is what happened in the lead up to the Bears game last week.
This quote from Monken earlier when asked about what he values most in the quarterback has stuck in the mind concerning the competition.
"I think the most important thing is, from a process standpoint, how are we operating at the line of scrimmage, where are their eyes, have they taken command of one the huddle, and then cadence, and then understanding the concepts."
The Greetham Angle also said this on Aug. 10.
In hearing the comments from Monken and (QB coach Mike) Bajakian, we feel the coaching staff values the operational side of the quarterback very strongly and would not be surprised if he announces the 10-year veteran, Watson, as the starter in the near future, over the second year quarterback, who has just seven starts.
However, Monken said Sanders has improved 'tremendously' in that area, so if he continues the progression, he will be in the conversation in the not so distant future.
The Greetham Angle Take: It still sounds--if you read between the lines what Monken said on Sunday--that Watson has the edge, but Sanders still has the opportunity in front of him to seize the opportunity, but this is a big week for him with the Bills in town for a practice and a game.