Shedeur, Watson each to start preseason

Todd Monken said on August 5 that Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson will each get a preseason start as the Cleveland Browns continue their quarterback competition. Monken told NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe that the next week will determine which player starts the Aug. 15 preseason opener at Chicago and which starts the Aug. 22 home game against Buffalo. NBC Sports first reported the plan on Wednesday. The Browns’ final preseason game is scheduled for Aug. 27 against New England. ### Which Browns games are part of this decision? The Browns’ official preseason schedule sets three evaluation dates: Aug. 15 at the Chicago Bears, Aug. 22 at home against the Buffalo Bills, and Aug. 27 at home against the New England Patriots. Cleveland announced those dates in June, with the Chicago game set for 1 p.m. ET and the finale against New England set for a Thursday night. That schedule gives Monken three live-game checkpoints before the regular season. NBC Sports reported that Sanders and Watson will each open one of the first two games, and that the quarterback judged to be ahead after those appearances is likely to start the third preseason game against the Patriots. (clevelandbrowns.com) ### What exactly did Monken say about Aug. 15? NBC Sports reported on Aug. 5 that Monken had not yet decided whether Sanders or Watson would start the Aug. 15 game in Chicago. The report said Monken told Wolfe that the next week of work would decide who gets that assignment and who starts the Aug. 22 game against Buffalo. (nbcsports.com) Aug. 15 is the first public marker in a competition that, according to reports from Browns camp, has continued into August rather than being settled before preseason games begin. The same NBC report said the Browns had expected a decision to come sooner, but the battle remained open entering camp. (nbcsports.com) ### How has Cleveland structured the competition so far? Training camp reporting has described a split-reps format. The Athletic reported in late July that Cleveland planned to alternate Watson and Sanders with the first-team offense at practices, a setup that kept both quarterbacks in the competition entering preseason. (nbcsports.com) Andrew Berry, the Browns’ general manager, also indicated recently that the race was unresolved. A report published this week cited Berry as saying Watson and Sanders still had a “long way to go” in the battle for the No. 1 job. ### Why is Watson’s status part of the story? (nytimes.com) Deshaun Watson’s Browns tenure remains a central piece of the decision because he has played only 19 games since arriving in Cleveland in 2022, according to NBC Sports. That limited availability has kept scrutiny on every stage of the team’s quarterback planning. (msn.com) Recent camp coverage has also pointed to uneven early practices for Watson. Cleveland.com reported on Aug. 5 that Sanders had drawn attention for downfield throws while Watson had struggled to find rhythm during camp workouts in Berea. ### Where does Sanders stand heading into preseason? (nbcsports.com) Shedeur Sanders enters the preseason as the other quarterback in direct contention for the starting job. Reports from camp have described him sharing top-unit work with Watson and remaining in line for one of the first two preseason starts. The Browns do not appear to be treating the first preseason game as the final word. (cleveland.com) Monken’s plan, as reported by NBC Sports, points instead to a rolling evaluation through Aug. 27, with the third preseason start expected to go to the quarterback who leads the competition after the first two exhibitions. (nytimes.com) ### What happens next before Cleveland names a starter? Aug. 15 is the next concrete date in the process, when Cleveland opens its preseason at Chicago. Aug. 22 against Buffalo and Aug. 27 against New England follow in successive weeks, and Monken’s comments indicate those three games will help determine which of Sanders or Watson is ahead entering the regular season. (clevelandbrowns.com) (nbcsports.com)