The Opening Drive 6/23: Shedeur Sanders Trade Speculation Makes Little Sense, Unless...

Differing reports leave rumors swirling around Watson and Sanders.

Erin Farina/Cleveland Browns

The Browns quarterback competition continues to generate more questions than answers, and the latest round of reports has only added to the uncertainty surrounding Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders.

One of the strongest opinions came from Zac Jackson of The Athletic during an appearance on 92.3 The Fan. Jackson’s assessment of Watson was blunt, saying his spring performance looked much like what the Browns have seen throughout his time in Cleveland: inconsistent, at times inaccurate, and prone to questionable decisions. Jackson’s larger point was that the Browns likely already know what they have in Watson after several years of evaluation.

It’s difficult to dismiss that perspective. The Browns have seen Watson in practices, training camps, meetings, preseason games, and regular-season action. At some point, the focus has to shift from trying to rediscover the player Watson once was to determining whether another quarterback can provide a better long-term answer.

Appearing alongside Shannon Sharpe, Ochocinco stated that Deshaun Watson is expected to be Cleveland’s starting quarterback and went a step further by claiming he had been told the plan is for Watson to start the first six games before the organization evaluates the position again.

It’s certainly an interesting claim, but it should be taken with a healthy dose of skepticism. The Browns have consistently maintained that the quarterback competition is ongoing, while Ocho suggests they have already mapped out a plan for the position. The problem is that it doesn’t seem to align with what has taken place throughout OTAs and minicamp. By most accounts, Watson and Sanders split significant first-team reps throughout the spring. Teams that have already settled on a starter typically spend those valuable practice reps building chemistry and timing rather than maintaining a near-even split between quarterbacks.

More importantly, locking in a specific number of games before training camp even begins would be difficult to justify. If Sanders clearly outperforms Watson throughout camp and the preseason, the Browns would be doing themselves a disservice by ignoring that information simply to stick to a prearranged timeline.

If Watson is clearly the best quarterback on the roster when the regular season arrives, then he should start. But if a Sanders closes the gap or outplays him, the Browns need to be willing to make that decision.

Ultimately, this information likely stems from the time Ochocinco spent with Jerry Jeudy, and I, for one, find it difficult to see the Browns predetermining this setup while still splitting reps, which would be highly unproductive behavior on the part of the coaching staff. Nor do I see them laying out their plans to Jeudy.

That all gets more confusing as we evaluate Monday’s Shedeur Sanders trade speculation, which is difficult to understand.

Tony Rizzo recently stated there have been discussions and calls regarding Sanders’ availability, and he doesn’t think the team goes to camp with Sanders.