The first day in pads highlighted two contrasting performances in the Cleveland Browns camp. Shedeur Sanders remained efficient and decisive throughout Monday, August 3 practice, while Deshaun Watson struggled, prompting an NFL insider to question whether the veteran is still fit for the starting role.

“Outside of that, though, there were still a lot of ups and downs for Watson throughout practice. His deep shots continue to come up woefully off target,” wrote NFL insider Spencer German.

While he often missed his targets, German said his drill execution was nearly perfect and even better than Sanders'. He explained that Watson's execution is what sets him apart from Sanders, who is still learning to make perfect plays. Watson also delivered some solid throws.

“But he was solid at executing some throws in rhythm over the middle and short throughout practice. His hurry-up series ended on fourth-and-short after KC Concepcion couldn't hang onto a ball over the middle in tight coverage," wrote Spencer German on Rountable.

Back in OTAs and minicamp, Deshaun Watson redeemed himself by consistently outplaying Shedeur Sanders. However, training camp has painted a different picture.

Sanders has not only thrown more touchdowns but also recorded fewer interceptions and a higher completion percentage than Watson, according to ESPN Cleveland's tracker.

Speaking of Sanders, German expressed that the second-year QB has impressed even on Day 5 of training camp, although his overall stats remain a bit subpar.

“Shedeur Sanders is settling in with the twos as the practice went on. He finished with a very strong two-minute offensive session where he completed two of three passes, including a long TD pass to Gage Larvadain to end practice,” wrote German.

He has not only been outshined by Shedeur Sanders but, at times, Dillon Gabriel as well. Watching his struggles, a former Browns veteran didn't hold back with his assessment.

Ex-Browns veteran calls out Deshaun Watson

Since the very start of the Cleveland Browns' training camp, the QB battle has completely flipped.

Sanders has consistently outperformed Watson, fueling growing doubts about the veteran's grip on the starting job, which is why Emmanuel Acho believes Watson might lose the battle.

“He’s currently playing himself out of a starting job,” Acho said on the Speakeasy podcast on August 3. “If you’re Deshaun Watson, you got 48 to 60 million reasons why the Browns have to start you. They will start you unless you go out there, and you have a 2-to-1 interception-to-touchdown ratio, not touchdowns-interception, interception-to-touchdown ratio in practice.”

Acho’s assessment isn’t wrong. In the first week of Browns training camp, Sanders completed 70.3% of his passes with four touchdowns and one interception, while Watson managed three touchdowns against six interceptions with a 64.4% completion rate.

The numbers suggest the Browns might push Sanders, but until training camp is over, we can't predict anything. The head coach, Todd Monken, stressed that the Browns will have a starting quarterback by Week 1, before they start on September 13 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

What are your thoughts on Watson's chances to grab the QB1 role? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar