Shedeur Sanders makes a statement in bid to earn Browns’ starting spot

Ex-CU Buffs quarterback Shedeur Sanders made a statement Saturday as he attempts to seize the Cleveland Browns’ starting job … but his bid to become the team’s No. 1 quarterback may ride as much on what troubled veteran Deshaun Watson did and did not do during the course of the Browns’ 31-7 preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Sanders received the starting assignment and went 9-for-11 for 74 yards with a touchdown and an interception, finishing the day with an 87.1 rating in front of a supportive Huntington Bank Stadium crowd.

“I sleep better at night knowing I did everything I can, and however things fall, they fall,” Sanders told media after the game.

But the Dawg Pound was not so kind to Watson, whose on-field struggles and off-field issues — including 27 lawsuits filed against him alleging sexual misconduct — have ensured that his $230 million contract has been one of the biggest financial disasters in NFL history — exacerbated by the fact that the Browns chose to guarantee every dollar of the deal.

The lawsuits were settled out of court. No criminal charges were filed, but Watson still served an 11-game suspension in 2022, his first season after joining the Browns via trade from the Houston Texans.

Watson has played in 19 of a possible 69 games — including postseason — for the Browns since joining them. He suffered an Achilles injury in 2024, and Saturday’s game was his first in front of the Cleveland fans.

They took every opportunity they could to boo him. That Watson posted a piddling 14.6 passer rating on 5-of-12 passing for 36 yards and an interception exacerbated matters.

Sanders has become the people’s choice in the battle that Monken is expected to settle in the coming days. Meanwhile, the negative fan reaction appeared to rankle Watson.

“I didn’t have no reaction,” Watson said. “I think the biggest thing is, I think you guys know too, and I think the whole world knows. It has nothing to do about the performance. It’s a little bit more personal than that. So I think that’s a disrespectful thing. So yeah, I mean, I’m going to keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally on how I feel about that. And yeah, just move on.”

But that quote appeared to indicate just the opposite.

SANDERS HAD SOME BRIEF FLASHES LATE LAST SEASON

Meanwhile, if the Browns choose Sanders, they’ll opt for a quarterback who appears to have the fans in his corner — partially because the Browns went a respectable 3-4 in his seven starts last season, and probably because he’s not Watson, whose name has become a virtual pejorative in northeast Ohio.

The choice might need to be Sanders for the sake of harmony — and for the idea of simply moving on from a mistake that continues to handcuff a franchise that hasn’t hosted a playoff game since before “Tommy Boy” was released.

“He plays with a certain amount of confidence,” Monken said of Sanders after Saturday’s game.

Now we’ll see if that — along with the circumstances surrounding the embattled Watson — will be enough to put the former CU standout back into the starting lineup.

Related

In Broncos loss, they got a win in something specific that truly matteredBo Nix happy with ‘solid’ first TD drive, says return ‘was like riding a bike’Sean Payton unhappy after Packers demolish Broncos, sends message to startersBroncos waste no time getting Jaylen Waddle involved in his preseason debutBo Nix throws a TD, leads two scoring drives in return from broken ankleBroncos CB Moss leaves game with rib injury