The Cleveland Browns are on the cusp of playing their first regular-season game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1. There have been plenty of changes from the coaching staff as well as the roster from last season.
New head coach Todd Monken held an open quarterback competition this training camp, which included all four of his signal-callers, but essentially was between veteran Deshaun Watson and the youngster Shedeur Sanders. Eventually, Monkenchose Watson as his starter going forward.
RELATED:
BITONIO POST-RETIREMENT INTERVIEW
Was it close? What was Monken’s decision based on? Did the preseason games come into play in that decision?
Most likely, Monken’s decision was based on what occurred in practice sessions. The reason behind this assumption is that in each exhibition game, every player on the Browns faced either the opponent’s second-or third-string athletes. Few starters on both sides of the ball even played, so how can an honest eval be conducted against second-teamers?
Yet, Cleveland’s offense in practices went up against last year’s #4 defensive unit.That will tell quite a bit.
Recently, retired offensive guard Joel Bitonio was a guest on The Bearded Browns Podcast to discuss everything Cleveland Browns. He was asked why he thought Sanders was not named the starting quarterback.
Bitonio stated:
“I thought we saw in the preseason his development from last year. But if you look at the little things, like time to throw and pocket awareness, and just — the guys get open and he makes a big play when they’re open. But there’s a little bit of just anticipation and time to throw.”
Here at DBN, we have published several interviews with Bitonio. He played 13 seasons and garnered seven Pro Bowls. He knows his stuff. Last year, he was the only offensive lineman still standing in the final game who started in Week 1.
Last season, Sanders played in eight games and started seven. So Bitonio has seen his play up close and personal in live games, as well as getting first-team reps in practices.
Sanders has a huge fanbase that transcendsthe Browns. Go to Facebook and type in “Shedeur Sanders” and see how many pages have been dedicated to his NFL career.
He is like Peyton Manning when he graduated from the University of Tennessee and was then drafted by the Indianapolis Colts. Tennessee fans instantly became Colts’ followers. Once Manning left and became the starter with the Denver Broncos, those same fans switched their allegiance to the Broncos.
The fanbase of Sanders right now is with Cleveland. His fans state that he is a superstar in waiting and a combination of Tom Brady, Michael Vick, and Johnny Unitas, all rolled into one quarterback. Basically, beyond “generational talent.” They are extremely vocal and cannot understand why the coaching staff doesn’t see this.
Of course, for many, their sampling in this year’s training camp was on their TV set, phone, or computer screen, and not in person in practice sessions. On the telecast, the Browns’ second-team offensive line played really well and gave each quarterback a clean pocket with ample time to survey the field. Keep in mind, this was against the other team’s second-team defense.
On the above play, Sanders had 6.2 seconds to throw. Four seconds on any passing play is considered an eternity, much less six. The pocket remained clean, and at no time did the walls begin to collapse. That is every NFL quarterback’s dream.
Bitonio noticed that Sanders is looking downfield more. But he has a flaw: He isn’t ready and needs more time to develop.
Bitonio explained:
“As a lineman, it sucks, but if you’re taking over three seconds to throw in the league, like, I don’t care if you have five Joe Thomases in front of you. It is tough to handle.”
The knock-on Sanders is that as long as he has a good pocket, he is a productive quarterback.
“I think that anytime Shedeur can take a step back and continue to learn and continue to process, I thought we saw in the preseason his development from last year. It looked significantly better. Continue to learn, continue to process as a young quarterback. It’s great for him.”
To hear this information from a guy who actually was in the huddle with Sanders speaks volumes. Bitonio knows. He saw the rookie Sanders and now has watched the sophomore Sanders from afar.
What Sanders has had to come to grips with is that he is expected to make a play every time he drops back to pass. This means he isn’t throwing the ball quickly enough, or getting rid of it and living to play another down.
This isn’t college. This isn’t the Pac-12 where only three teams you play on the schedule all year have a good pass rush, or the defensive backs are on an elite level. In the NFL, everybody is incredible. The backups are very good.
Last year was an awakening period. Sanders, like most or all rookies, came into the NFL not ready for the speed of defenders along the defensive front, as well as in the defensive backfield. But in practices, he gets a dose of Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbelleach day. It is like back in the day when the Browns’ receivers had to test Frank Minnifield and Hanford Dixon.
INTERVIEW: BROWNS WR BRIAN BRENNAN
That alone made guys like Brian Brennan, Webster Slaughter, and Reggie Langhorne have to reach down deep and produce.
What about the fact that Sanders is just in his second season, along with Dillon Gabriel, while Watson has been in the league since 2017? Could this have come into play with Monken’s decision to go with Watson over either Sanders or Gabriel?
Bitonio said:
“The quarterback room overall, the personalities of the young guys, Shedeur and Dillon, are both great guys. Both want to put in the work. Both work hard. Obviously, they found a way to get Dillon on IR for a few weeks. (Shedeur) was a developmental player when they drafted him, and he’s continued to develop. I think they’ve shown good signs. And then Deshaun, that 2023 Ravens game in the second half, that showed fans what the team had hoped he would be. He was a perfect passer. He was scrambling. He was making plays. He helped lead us to a victory. Everybody thought this was the moment when he got his confidence back.”
And what about the Browns’ decision to start Watson? Before the franchise mortgaged the farm to trade for him, he was a Top-5 quarterback in the league with three Pro Bowls in his first four seasons. Could his experience be one of the reasons Coach Monken chose Watson over Sanders?
Bitonio gave his take on Watson on the Bearded Browns Podcast:
“I think he’s shown enough promise with the offense. Coach Monken obviously trusts him the most to go and win games. That’s really the bottom line. Coach Todd Monken is trying to win as many games as possible. And at this current position, he thinks Deshaun Watson is going to get as many wins as possible for him. This might be his only chance to be a head coach in the NFL. He is going to put the guy he thinks is going to win him the most games, and if the time comes, Shedeur will be ready to step in.”
Cleveland begins the 2026 season on September 14 on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
How are you feeling about Shedeur Sanders’ development so far? What do you think about Joel Bitonio’s thoughts on the 2nd-year QB?
Join the conversation!
Sign up for a user account and get:
- Fewer ads
- Create community posts
- Comment on articles, community posts
- Rec comments, community posts
- New, improved notifications system!
Download the SB Nation app on iOS or Android.
