The odds are stacked against Shedeur Sanders, but he is fighting hard to win the starting quarterback position this season. After a tumultuous rookie season with the Cleveland Browns, Sanders is improving to compete against Watson’s athleticism. 

“Shedeur Sanders is gonna be a dual threat,” PJ Starlissimo captioned a July 4 video of Sanders running. 

His sophomore season could be a turning point in his NFL career. The starting QB race between him and Watson is dragging into the training camp since the franchise has not announced a winner. While Sanders still has a chance to become QB1, it also means that he has not swayed the decision-makers yet, and time is of the essence. 

“Every day I kind of lean one way or the other with quarterbacks,” Monken said after OTA No. 8 in June. “But I’m fired up by the quarterbacks. I just tell you, we’ve got two starting-level quarterbacks. We really do.”

Sanders is up against a veteran who excelled in his prime. In 2020 with the Houston Texans, Watson led the league with 4,823 passing yards and recorded 90 carries, three touchdowns, and 444 rushing yards. The Browns traded this three-time Pro Bowler for his dual-threat skills. 

Even at 30 and after a severe leg injury, Watson remains fit and fast. So much so that Monken called Watson’s elite athleticism his “superpower.” 

“Deshaun's athleticism shows up,” Monken said in May via ESPN. “Obviously he's had that, but he's had injuries that have set him back. I wouldn't say it's a surprise, but it's exciting to see -- it's a weapon for him. It's one of his superpowers, his athleticism.”

This season is his last with the Browns. He had signed a five-year contract worth $230 million and had been absent from the field since October 2024. Sanders has much to overcome in this two-man competition. 

He has to ensure improvement to dominate the competition now more than ever, as spectators watch his every move. 

Fans have different reactions to Shedeur Sanders’ running drill

Cleveland Browns fans have varying reactions to the clip of Shedeur Sanders running and the looming questions of becoming a dual-threat QB. 

“He’s way too slow,” one put it plainly. 

Another asked how he could bring this major change all of a sudden. 

“He never has been, how would he suddenly become dual threat?” they replied. 

Another comment explained how Sanders’ speed has little to do with his ability to not get caught while rushing. 

“I remember having a debate with my brother when I called Deshaun Watson slow. I think ultimately he was right but my frustration was that he never seemed to escape..he was always caught. Oddly enough Sanders is the opposite. He may be slow on paper, but he escapes!” they wrote.    

“Always was, he just mite be a tad bit quicker..” one fan backed him by saying he was always a dual-threat. 

“I like that he’s getting faster because he don’t know what he has behind the OL yet. But I want him to play his game and throw that damn ball,” one replied about this season’s offensive line.  “Your legs should be a second thought not your first. That’s how they end up hurt once they get older and start slowing down.” 

What are your thoughts? Tell us in the comments.

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Written by

Akanksha Biradar