Shedeur Sanders can win the Cleveland Browns starting job
Shedeur Sanders can still claim the Cleveland Browns’ Week 1 starting job if he commits to every training-camp detail, not just game-day flashes, NBC Sports’ Mike Florio argues. After Deshaun Watson looked sharper early in the spring, Sanders closed late—and coach Todd Monken still has not named a starter.
Key Takeaways
- Mike Florio says Sanders can win Cleveland’s QB job if he fully buys into Monken’s practice process.
- Watson and Sanders split first-team reps in the spring; Monken wants padded practices and preseason before deciding.
- Coaches praised Sanders’ spring growth but still want him to stop holding the ball too long.
- Analytics coverage flagged Sanders’ 2025 starting tape as among the league’s worst, raising the stakes for 2026.
- Rookies report July 23 and veterans July 28, with the season opener set for Sept. 13 at Jacksonville.
Can Shedeur Sanders beat Deshaun Watson for QB1?
Yes—if he treats every camp rep like it matters. In a July 15 NBC Sports analysis, Florio argued Sanders is a “gamer” who performs when it counts but has been slower to embrace the little things in practice.
Florio pointed to an early-offseason drill clip in which Watson handled a snap, fake pitch, drop and throw crisply while Sanders looked lackadaisical, especially on the fake. Early chatter then leaned toward Watson as the QB1 favorite.
By the end of the spring program, Florio said Sanders appeared to be making progress—possibly after Monken stressed that he cannot wait until games to flip the switch. ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi likewise framed the Watson-Sanders duel as the Browns’ top lingering camp question after both split first-team work.
Why does training camp matter more than spring OTAs?
Monken liked what he saw from both passers but wants clearer evidence in pads, with a livelier rush and preseason snaps, before locking in a starter. He has not set a public timeline beyond needing a Week 1 quarterback.
Watson is healthy again after Achilles procedures kept him out of the 2025 season, yet he still must prove durability and better play than his injury-riddled Cleveland tenure. Sanders, meanwhile, must carry spring praise into camp without sliding back into holding the ball too long.
Florio’s bottom line is blunt: if Sanders executes Monken’s offense with full commitment, Watson will have to play even better to keep him off the field. For more fringe NFL storylines and oddball camp chatter, browse Future Tech & AI Wonders on BlasterPost.
What else is unresolved for the Cleveland Browns?
Even after QB1 is settled, Cleveland faces a crowded four-man quarterback room that includes Dillon Gabriel and developmental rookie Taylen Green. A Yahoo Sports roundup also highlighted harsh 2025 analytics rankings that labeled Sanders the worst starting quarterback in one SB Nation study—context that makes this camp battle career-defining.
Beyond the pocket, the Browns are trying to climb from a five-win 2025 finish under first-year coach Monken. Camp opens late July, and the regular season begins Sept. 13 against the Jaguars—with the starting job still very much open.