For Cleveland Browns fans, QB Deshaun Watson’s resume was full and faulty long before HC Todd Monken came in and gave everyone a clean slate. Almost no one was happy when Monken named Watson the Browns Week 1 starter, but the head coach has time and time again reinforced that he believes that decision is the right one for Cleveland.
Then in Week 1, the Browns offense was putrid with Watson as the quarterback, with some game-breaking issues, but Monken was steadfast that Watson was his starter. The veteran
QB blamed the media, and the head coach backtracked on whether the team’s opinion mattered.
As we shared in this morning’s news wrap-up, our Daily Dawg Chow, there was a quick change in narrative around the quarterback position from Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Talking about Shedeur Sanders’ expectations and the possibility of a quarterback change after Week 2.
Then, Sunday morning brought this report of a rumor from ESPN and The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport:
Rapoport noted that with Week 1’s bad loss and Cleveland having back-to-back road games, “the first two games would serve as a natural evaluation point.”
Given this report, it is likely that a bad game from Watson would see Sanders as the starter for the home opener, and could spell the end of Watson’s NFL career. If the veteran plays well, especially with an upset victory, Watson could stave off Sanders for a few more weeks.
As Rapoport noted, “The middle ground is the area where it’s less clear cut.”
To some extent, two games seem like a very short evaluation time for such an important decision. Would that timeline have been true if Sanders was named the starter to start the season? If Watson is benched and Dillon Gabriel returns from injured reserve, would the veteran Week 1 starter even dress for games the rest of the year? Would Taylen Green stay on the roster and be the emergency quarterback?
Lots of questions that need to be answered, starting with Watson’s performance Sunday in Week 2 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Given this report by Rapoport and the column by Cabot, it seems like Browns fans might get what they have wanted for a long time: No more Watson at quarterback.
What will Sanders look like if/when he gets his shot? That is a question that might take a little time to answer.
What do you think of the Browns evaluating the QB starter after 2 weeks? Do you think Week 2 is Watson’s final NFL game? Do you think Sanders is the starter in Week 3?
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