The Cleveland Browns lost on Sunday, but rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders had a performance that made it impossible for him to be sent back to the bench.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed that on Monday. After three weeks of naming Sanders the starter for the week, the head coach announced that the rookie quarterback will be the starter in Cleveland for the remainder of the season.
That’s great news for Sanders, who arrived to Cleveland as the fourth quarterback on the depth chart. He’ll now have four more games to prove that he can be the quarterback of the future for the Browns as well.
In addition to that opportunity, Sanders being named starter also closes the door on a nightmare scenario for Browns fans. That scenario is Deshaun Watson returning to the lineup.
Kevin Stefanski officially saved Browns fans from their Deshaun Watson nightmare
Watson, who hasn’t played since tearing his Achilles in Week 7 of last season, recently returned to practice for Cleveland. The franchise wouldn’t say whether it wanted to see Watson on the field this year or not, but fans have made it pretty clear they have no interest in seeing the veteran quarterback back under center.
Arriving in Cleveland in 2022, Watson had three underwhelming seasons before the Achilles injury. Over those three years, he played in just 19 games, the Browns were 9-10, and Watson only completed 61.2% of his passes for 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. It’s been clear he isn’t the future of the quarterback position in Cleveland, so it would have been malpractice to put him on the field over the young quarterbacks on the roster.
It’s now clear that won’t be happening. Sanders has been given the keys to the franchise for the final four games of the season, and everything else will be figured out in the offseason.
One thing that seems to be a certainty about next year’s quarterback room is that Watson will be a part of it. That’s a likelihood, not because the Browns want him to start again, but because they can’t really move off his contract.
The good news, though, is that Watson has reportedly been a valuable veteran backup, assisting the development of the young quarterbacks on the roster. He’ll remain in that role for Sanders for the rest of the season.