The Cleveland Browns' quarterback competition between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson is so unimpressive that other teams are one step away from openly laughing at them mid-practice.
During the team's joint practice with the Buffalo Bills on Thursday, a player on the Buffalo defense was calling the Browns' offense "check-down city."
Daryl Ruiter later confirmed that most, if not all, of that chirping back and forth came when Sanders was on the field. A contending Bills team seems thoroughly unimpressed by what Sanders and the Browns' offense were putting on display.
The Browns aren't usually just bad. There's always some sort of farcical aspect to them. With a well-respected team in the Bills stopping one step short of clutching their stomachs and laughing at Sanders dumping the ball off to his tight ends and running backs in the flat, the already rough vibes around the Browns will continue to deteriorate.
Bills defenders mock Cleveland Browns QB Shedeur Sanders for conservative play
Watson appeared to be the better of the two quarterbacks in their preseason matchup against the Chicago Bears, but that isn't saying much when the final score was 34-10 in Chicago's favor. Watson went 11-for-15 for 126 yards, but lost a fumble. Sanders went 6-for-11 passing for 79 yards, but he threw a poor interception. Oh, and Dillon Gabriel got picked off, too.
This is a concerning development for both Sanders and head coach Todd Monken. In the past with both Tampa Bay and Baltimore, Monken's offenses were highlighted by a vertical passing game that stretched defenses. If Sanders was being overly conservative against the Bills, that could make it tough for him to separate from Watson in what was arguably the most important practice of training camp.
Part of why a fifth-round pick like Sanders was able to jump past a third-round pick in Gabriel last season was his willingness to test teams down the field. If Sanders is operating a "check-down city" offense, why not just play Gabriel at that point?
A few more poor days of practice like this, and Sanders may end up losing the starting role to Watson.
While many of Cleveland's biggest offseason additions were rookies like Spencer Fano and KC Concepcion, the newly rebuilt offensive line and Monken's arrival were supposed to help Sanders at least make opposing defenses worry. If this is the response the Browns are getting in practice, just imagine what could happen in the regular season when all the chips on are the table.
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