Generally, in the early going of any NFL training camp, everyone looks good. The rookies look good. The returning injured players look good. The new free-agent signees look good. Teams come back after the spring refreshed, and there are no pads on, so everyone looks pretty good. That’s true of the Cleveland Browns with one notable exception: The quarterbacks, Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders do not look good.
Watson was notably bad over the course of the first four practices, throwing six interceptions in 11-on-11 drills. He is coming back from two surgeries on his Achilles tendon, and he has not played since October 2024, so perhaps some rust is to be expected. But in the early going for the Browns, Watson has not looked like a veteran determined to win his job back.
Shedeur Sanders ‘Looks Worse’ for Browns
But Sanders, even without the eye-popping interception numbers, has not staked out the job as his, either. One of Sanders’ big problems last season was his tendency to hold the ball too long–he seems to lack the ability to make quick, sharp decisions. The hope was that, after an offseason of work, Sanders would have gotten better with the ball. He threw only 10 interceptions with seven touchdowns last year.
According to Justin Cooper, reporter for ESPN radio in Cleveland, not only has Sanders not gotten better, he looks like he has regressed. Cooper put it bluntly: “He looks worse.”
Shedeur Sanders Learning New Offense
This was always the fear for the Browns as they approached the 2026 season having rebuilt the offensive line in free agency and rebuilt the wide receiver room in the draft. They did little–due respect to sixth-rounder pick Taylen Green–to address the quarterback position in the offseason, choosing to roll with a competition between the rehabbing Watson and Sanders, who was rated the No, 38 quarterback out of 38 by Pro Football Focus last year.
It is early, but so far, they appear to be conducting a quarterback competition that could be decided not by who wins the job but by who does less to lose the job.
Shedeur Sanders said he is still building up his knowledge base: “Of course there are going to be good days, bad days. We always strive to have our best days every day. But I play better and feel better whenever I have all the information and I know exactly what’s going on at all times. So that’s why I just spend every minute, every hour of my time really focused on being the best quarterback I could be and being the best leader for this team I could be. That obviously translates because the more information I know, the more comfortable I am as a person.”
Browns Giving Deshaun Watson Leeway
Watson conceded he is still getting his feel for the game back. The Browns are willing to be patient with him, but there will need to be improvement as the pads come on.
He said: “It goes back to timing, the little things with depth and when the ball is coming out and coming back down to the catch point. But then again, we have a really good defense, so they’re going to make plays too. Sometimes you want to be aggressive and they’re going to make plays, and we’re going to make plays.”
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