Palmer: Sanders has closed the gap on Watson

Schefter said it “feels like Shedeur’s time is coming” if Watson bombs in the Browns’ Week 2 matchup with the Bucs following his Week 1 collapse against Jacksonville. Sanders, in that scenario, would be under center for the Browns’ home opener against the Panthers in Week 3. Sanders, who is slightly more accurate than Watson in the short and intermediate areas, would be an upgrade for Harold Fannin and KC Concepcion. He would likely be a downgrade for downfield air yards eater Denzel Boston.

The Browns open the year with a two-game road trip before returning to Cleveland for their home opener next week. Watson was a disaster in Week 1, turning the ball over twice while throwing for 205 yards and one score. Another showing like that versus the Bucs this week and he could be sent to the bench. Shedeur Sanders would then draw the start against Carolina in Week 3. It’s unlikely the Browns offense turns things around under Sanders, but things truly cannot get worse than they are right now.

Monken has stressed explosive plays as an important part of the Cleveland offense headed into the 2026 regular season. “Obviously having explosive players helps that,” Monken said. “Being able to scheme it up against certain looks and then being able to execute because your protection has to hold up when you get those opportunities. I’m confident in Deshaun and our ability to push the ball down the field, otherwise we wouldn’t be starting him.” That confidence might be misplaced considering Watson completed just 1-of-6 attempts for 20 yards and an interception on downfield passes in the preseason and was among the league’s worst deep ball passers in 2024, when he threw downfield on a career-low 27 percent of his attempts. Once an elite deep ball thrower, Watson will look to regain form coming off two torn Achilles, entering his age-30 season. Perhaps rookie WR Denzel Boston will be a boon for Watson’s downfield game in 2026.

When speaking with the media on Monday, Monken said, “There could be a package where we have (Green)” on the field. Monken also suggested he would prefer to not have three QBs active on game day, which could mean Shedeur Sanders would be a healthy scratch. Even if this were to happen, we shouldn’t assume this means Sanders is behind Green on the depth chart. As long as Deshaun Watson is in the QB1 seat, the Browns’ weekly game plan won’t include Sanders, while Green’s explosiveness on the ground could add another element to the offense in select packages, making him a more valuable option on game days. If Watson were to miss time due to injury or lose the starting job, we would still expect Sanders to be the next man up, with Green continuing to serve in select packages.

Multiple outlets reported on Monday that Deshaun Watson would be the starter for Week 1 against the Jaguars, with Sanders as the backup. Sanders was solid in his second preseason game, completing 9-of-11 passes for 74 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in one half of play, but this camp battle was always expected to work in Watson’s favor, barring an obvious breakout by Sanders in camp. While it’s not the result Sanders and his fantasy managers hoped for, Watson’s job is anything but secure. He’ll start in Week 1, but the veteran QB will likely be evaluated on a week-to-week basis, meaning head coach Todd Monken could turn the job over to Sanders at any point in time.

This is coming from multiple reports, per Schultz. We’ll eventually get word from head coach Todd Monken on the decision, but it sounds like Watson, who was the favorite to win the battle entering training camp, will get the first crack at the starting job. Watson completed 16-of-27 passes for no touchdowns and one interception in his two preseason appearances, and struggled in last week’s outing against the Bills while playing with backups. Despite being booed off the field after a disappointing performance in front of a home crowd, the 30-year-old vet, who is in the final year of a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract, will get the chance to show he can lead the Browns in 2026. Watson shouldn’t be viewed as anything more than a low-end QB2 for fantasy purposes, but he has some exciting offensive weapons to throw to in Denzel Boston, KC Concepcion, and Harold Fannin.

Second-year Browns QB Shedeur Sanders outplayed veteran QB Deshaun Watson on Saturday. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported earlier today that the team must decide whether Watson is “in a good enough space to be the leader for this team,” adding that Sanders’ “presence” and “aura” have helped him curry favor with people in the Browns’ organization. At the end of the day, Sanders is likely the better bet to provide the requisite passing game stability for a couple of Browns’ pass catchers to maintain weekly starting consideration in fantasy, though Sanders himself is unlikely to be anything more than a QB2 in superflex leagues.

Sanders was given the entirety of the first half, starting by completing his first eight passes for 80 yards and a touchdown before a tipped pass resulted in his lone interception. He would complete only one other pass, a loss of six yards, before handing the game over to Deshaun Watson in the third quarter. It was a largely uninspiring performance from the second-year signal caller amidst a quarterback battle that is said to be nearing a decision, with head coach Todd Monken indicating a decision would likely come early next week. To his credit, Sanders saw a chunk gain on the ground erased from the board after an offensive holding call. Watson appeared to take pole position for the starting job the previous week of camp - the fact that Sanders was given a full half while Watson only played for a quarter seems to reinforce that claim. Fantasy managers will want to confirm the statuses of both quarterbacks in the coming days.

It sounds like Saturday’s game against the Bills is set up to be the final dress rehearsal for Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders before Monken decides who will start in Week 1 against the Jaguars. Sanders is expected to start on Saturday against the Bills, with Watson expected to take the field in the second half of Saturday’s game. Neither quarterback looked particularly impressive in the first preseason game against the Bears, with both committing turnovers in their respective halves. Whoever gets the nod as the starter will likely sit in the team’s preseason finale against the Patriots next week.

Both Fowler and his colleague, Herm Edwards, complimented QB Deshaun Watson’s recent performances in both practice and preseason play. Per Fowler, Watson “has some momentum, not all of the momentum” at this time. His competitor, QB Shedeur Sanders, will start against the Bills this weekend.