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Cleveland Browns quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson.
Even if Deshaun Watson wins the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback job, the conversation will not end there.
Watson is trying to revive his career, justify what remains of his fully guaranteed $230 million contract and hold off one of the NFL’s most talked-about young quarterbacks. That last part could become its own challenge.
“Good or bad, starting or not, Shedeur Sanders is one of the most popular topics on any given day,” Browns beat reporter Ashley Bastock said on the Orange and Brown Talk podcast. “It’s going to draw attention, it’s going to draw eyeballs. It is something Deshaun Watson is going to have to deal with, whether he wins the starting job or not.”
Mary Kay Cabot agreed, pointing to a recent minicamp clip involving Sanders that took off online, drawing millions of views.
“I really do think that this is Exhibit A for exactly what Deshaun Watson is going to face if he wins the starting job,” Cabot said. “This is it. This is the Shedeur phenomenon.”
Every slow start, every interception and every stalled drive would likely bring louder calls for Sanders, whose popularity has already turned routine offseason reps into viral moments.
The Browns got a preview of that dynamic last season, when Dillon Gabriel was starting ahead of Sanders. Fans made their feelings clear, booing Gabriel and chanting for Sanders as Cleveland’s offense struggled.
It put Sanders in an awkward position, but he handled it carefully. Rather than feed the outside noise, Sanders urged fans to stop and publicly supported his teammate.
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“When Dillon’s out there playing and all that, I appreciate the fans,” Sanders said. “I appreciate everybody, but I’m a good person overall, so I don’t really like him not feeling comfortable, confident when he gets out there.”
That has been a theme for Sanders since arriving in Cleveland and partly why he dropped in the draft to the fifth round. The attention around him can be difficult for the Browns to manage, but he has not gone out of his way to create controversy. He has praised teammates, kept the focus on his own development and avoided turning the quarterback competition into a public campaign.
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Sanders has avoided putting a label on where the quarterback competition stands. Asked during minicamp how he would assess the battle with Watson, Sanders kept his answer short.
“I don’t think I’m a judge,” Sanders said. “I’m not a judge.”
Sanders expanded on that when asked how he would prepare for training camp, with Browns coach Todd Monken making it clear the competition would continue.
“See, I think the way y’all look at things is different than how we look at things,” Sanders said. “We look at coming to practice every day, being the best player we can be as an individual and as a good teammate. Y’all look at it as like a competition. It’s not really nothing I’m just focused on. I’m focused on developing as a player, like doing everything, getting as comfortable as I can in the offense and the scheme and playing with that confidence I had.”
The Browns also have Dillon Gabriel and rookie Taylen Green on the roster. However, neither is expected to factor into the QB1 conversation.
J.R. DeGroote Browns beat writer for Heavy.com. Covering the NFL and NBA since 2019. ASU Cronkite grad. More about J.R. DeGroote
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