The Cleveland Browns have made their position clear while having Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders battling it out for the starting quarterback job with the former getting his shot
Shedeur Sanders
Shedeur Sanders is set to start for the Browns on Saturday
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Shedeur Sanders is set to start for the Cleveland Browns against the Buffalo Bills in their second preseason game, getting his chance to play with the number-one offense.
Sanders knows he must impress after struggling in the preseason opener, a game in which Deshaun Watson started as Todd Monken named both men the unofficial starters on their first depth chart.
New head coach Todd Monken will hope to play both Dillon Gabriel and rookie Taylen Green, but it appears the starting job is only a two-man race between Sanders and Watson. It comes after Watson has made his case to be the starter, while sending a message to their fans after being booed in the past.
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All signs currently point to Watson being named the starter, with Monken stating he will announce the decision within the next few days.
He told reporters: "I do not anticipate the QB decision going past early of next week."
This appears to be Sanders' last chance of impressing with the first-team, with Monken signalling that Watson will be the starter but wanting to see the second-year man got his shot with the first-string offense.
Deshaun Watson
Deshaun Watson is likely to be play in the third quarter, as Sanders had last week
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He said: "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. 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."
No matter who starts in Week One for the Browns, Watson knows he is fighting to keep his place with the team and in the NFL.
He is in the final year of his contract after the team gave him a five-year, fully-guaranteed $230 million deal since being traded from the Houston Texans.
Todd Monken
Todd Monken appears to have made his decision with all signs pointing to Deshaun Watson
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The Browns traded for Watson in a deal which was much-maligned back in 2022, and he has played in just 19 games since that trade four years ago, missing time due to injuries, as well as a lengthy suspension.
In the games he has played, he's struggled - ranking among the bottom in quarterback rating (QBR). However, he is said to have outperformed Sanders in training camp.
Whether Sanders is to get another shot in the NFL next season remains to be seen, while teams will have interest in Sanders - a former first-round prospect who incredibly fell all the way to the fifth-round.