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Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson remains a mentor to Shedeur Sanders.

Deshaun Watson has earned praise for his actions towards Shedeur Sanders amid the Cleveland Browns‘ heated quarterback competition.

According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Watson has emerged from voluntary minicamp with the edge over Shedeur Sanders and is trending toward QB1.

“Deshaun Watson emerged from the Browns’ voluntary minicamp last week with an edge over Shedeur Sanders in the two-man quarterback competition — and has the inside track to be named the Browns QB1,” Cabot said. “The Browns have said that their quarterback decision will be based on performance alone as opposed to development and a potential high pick in next year’s QB-rich draft class, and if the season started tomorrow, Watson would be the starter.”

But Watson’s impact hasn’t just been on the field. Even as he positions himself to reclaim the starting role, the veteran quarterback has continued to mentor Sanders and Dillon Gabriel — a role he embraced last season while sidelined with a twice-ruptured Achilles. The dynamic is now different but his willingness to remain engaged and help guide the younger quarterbacks through a new system has stood out internally.

“In addition, he’s continued to mentor Sanders and Gabriel to help them assimilate the new scheme,” Cabot said. “It’s one of the things the Browns appreciated about Watson all last season, that he helped the two rookies get up to speed.”

Browns QB1 Reps Shift in Deshaun Watson’s Favor

Only one of the three minicamp sessions last week was open to the media. Sanders and Watson split the first-team reps, with Gabriel working with the backups. Cabot said that shifted in the ensuing practices, with Watson getting more work.

“On the second day of the minicamp, Watson went first in team drills and took most of the reps, including in the red zone and in the two-minute drill,” Cabot said. “By then, Watson had earned the QB1 snaps by looking the part of a starting quarterback, which tracks with the fact he’s started 72 games and led the Texans to the playoffs twice. What’s more, he’s worked hard on his own to study and learn Monken’s offense and is playing fast on the field.”

As Cabot noted, Watson has a monumental edge in experience over the rest of the room. However, Browns general manager Andrew Berry attempted to shoot down the idea that Watson’s experience gives him an edge.

“I don’t know if any player has an advantage,” Berry said on ESPN Cleveland. “Of course, experience helps. That’s one of the strengths Deshaun has relative to the rest of the room. I wouldn’t say that in and of itself gives any player an advantage. Both of those guys have worked really hard over the past several months.”

Browns Need Veteran Presence With Young Offense

A major reason the Browns appear to be leaning toward Watson as their Week 1 starter is the youth surrounding him on offense. Cleveland has overhauled its offensive line and will rely on two rookie wide receivers, along with recent draft picks at running back and tight end.

Watson provides a steady veteran presence and is someone capable of making the necessary checks and adjustments at the line of scrimmage to keep the offense on track and put his young playmakers in position to succeed.

But the real question is what Watson will look like once the pads come on. He’s undergone three surgeries in the past two years. His mobility hasn’t been tested in a live game setting. The last time Watson took the field in a Browns uniform, he was carted off to cheers from the crowd. It’s a complicated evaluation — and one Cleveland can’t afford to get wrong.