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Shedeur Sanders #12 of the Cleveland Browns

The news that the Cleveland Browns, at this very early stage of the offseason, are leaning toward Deshaun Watson to be the team’s QB1 next season rankled a good portion of the fan base who wondered why the team would lean toward a 30-year-old with two Achilles tendon surgeries on his medical chart over 24-year-old Shedeur Sanders, and wondered, too, why the team would start making quarterback decisions in April?

Both are fair questions, and it should be pointed out that the team has made no firm decisions on who will be starting, only on who’s got the edge at this very early stage. Watson has an experience edge, no question, but Sanders could show some other advantages that will unfold over time.

One of the advantages he has is a certain confidence he plays with, one that is easily relayed to the rest of the team. He was not great last season after taking over the job in Week 11, but he did something that neither Joe Flacco or Dillon Gabriel could do in the previous 10 weeks–he won more than one game, finishing with a 3-4 mark in his seven games under center.

Shedeur Sanders Plays With ‘Swag’

For Browns star defensive lineman Maliek Collins, what stood out about Sanders was the swagger he brought to the offense, which had been nonexistent in the rest of the season. Collins, appearing on Terron Armstead’s podcast this weekend, said he does not have a pick between Watson and Sanders, but his comment on Sanders was noteworthy.

Here’s what Collins said: “I think for the main thing, it is, they both great dudes. I was with Deshaun for a second in Houston before he get traded up here. So I seen, I played against him when I was in Dallas, so I seen what type of player he is, I seen how dynamic he has been in the past. I think he got a lot to prove.

“I think Shedeur, super talented, I think he has a lot to prove, too. Maybe to themselves, like, who am I? I think whoever we rolling with is who we are rolling with. … I think they said it is an open competition. Let the best man win in that situation. I like Shedeur, I like the swag he brings, the confidence he plays with. Deshaun’s a little bit more quiet but he is still a baller.”

Browns Seeking ‘It’ Factor at Quarterback

That is going to be the opinion from most of these Browns–no teammate wants to play favorites. But the idea of Sanders bringing “swag” to the team is noteworthy, and it is something that both coach Todd Monken and offensive coordinator Travis Switzer talked about in the weeks leading up to the offseason workout program.

Switzer talked about having a quarterback who can throw four interceptions in the first half and still make the team believe it can win in the second half. And Monken said his quarterback decision begins with leadership–even swag.

As he said, way back in February: “I’m just going to start with personality traits. I mean, when you talk about who’s going to lead this team, who has the ‘it’ factor? who has those characteristics that the team wants to follow and believes in them because the ball’s in their hand every down?

“This game is going to come down to two-minute situations, four-minute situations where you’ve got to be able to execute the high level. And we’re just talking about some of the characteristics that you’re looking for.”