For the first time since it was reported in late April that Deshaun Watson held a significant lead over Shedeur Sanders in the competition for the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback job, it was suggested on Wednesday that Sanders “has really come on” and is closing the gap.
During the latest edition of the “Orange and Brown Talk” podcast, Mary Kay Cabot, Ashley Bastock and Dan Labbe of the Cleveland Plain Dealer expanded on what they saw during Wednesday’s practice.
Has Browns’ Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson competition experienced a “paradigm shift?”
“I felt there was a paradigm shift [Wednesday] in this whole thing. I did,” Cabot explained. “It just felt like things were different [Wednesday].”
According to the reporters, Sanders ran the first-team offense “in virtually every competitive drill” on Wednesday. Those who witnessed the two signal-callers in action said that Sanders outperformed Watson on the day.
“Any drill they were going at full speed, any team drill, it seemed like Shedeur was the one who was going first [Wednesday],” Bastock said.
Of course, a June 3 practice alone won’t determine who head coach Todd Monken names as his starting quarterback for Cleveland’s Week 1 game at the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 13. Considering some thought Monken could reveal the identity of his QB1 as soon as next week, Wednesday’s developments would have to be considered a positive regarding Sanders’ chances to at least keep this conversation going through the summer.
“[Wednesday] felt different,” Labbe added. “We saw something different. Again, it doesn’t mean that this competition has completely shifted, but it was interesting that this was the very first time that we’ve seen Shedeur take those reps.”
Todd Monken gives big update about timeline for possible Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson competition
Previous reports indicated that Monken could at least privately name his starter shortly after Cleveland’s mandatory minicamp wraps up on June 11. While speaking with reporters after Wednesday’s practice, he teased that may not be the case.
“I don’t even know if I will be (able to set it by the end of minicamp),” Monken said about the depth chart, as Cabot shared. “Each day that changes. It just does. I mean, I see what you see, right? We look at the film, and then we assess that. And again, I think both of them are doing exactly what we’re asking them to do and competing like hell.”
According to Browns reporter Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan, neither Sanders nor Watson covered himself in glory on Wednesday. Nevertheless, it sounds like Sanders may not be relegated to full-time backup duties when he and his teammates begin their summer breaks after the team’s mandatory minicamp.