Shedeur Sanders is in a tight competition for the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback job. However, he was dealt a minor setback on Wednesday evening when the team announced that veteran Deshaun Watson will start the first preseason game against the Chicago Bears on Aug. 15.
Watson and Sanders have been splitting first-team reps throughout training camp, with both players having good and bad days, but according to the stats and videos coming out of practice, Sanders has looked better.
While Sanders won't get the starting nod this week, he will start the Browns' second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills on Aug. 22. Head coach Todd Monken did note during his Wednesday press conference that Sanders will likely play most of the second half
against the Bears.
Through Tuesday's eleventh practice, Sanders completed 173 of his 247 passes for 12 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Watson, on the other hand, has completed 175 of his 270 passes for 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Deshaun Watson will start this Saturday's preseason game, with Shedeur Sanders to start next week's game
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 12, 2026
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The interceptions have been a concern for Watson, leading fans to speculate whether Sanders had the edge in the competition. Monken's decision to go with Watson might not mean much in the grand scheme of things and could be just a head coach paying reverence to a veteran player.
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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Shedeur Sanders won't start Browns' first preseason game vs. Bears
