Once again, the Cleveland Browns' biggest offseason storyline revolves around the quarterback situation. Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders split first-team reps during spring workouts, and there's still no final word on who will start Week 1.
Throughout most of the process, Watson has been tabbed as the frontrunner, and the league-wide expectation is that he'll ultimately win the job. However, the latest reports also show Sanders has closed the gap, and he will also be given a fair shot to beat out the veteran in training camp.
There might be plenty of truth to that, as Watson is working overtime to maintain his apparent lead in this race. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Watson was back at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus in Berea this week to get in some extra work ahead of camp.
Real competition may be exactly what Deshaun Watson needed entering training camp
Granted, the Browns' quarterback competition is somewhat underwhelming. Most fans would rather see Sanders remain the starter and show what he can do, especially knowing what Watson has brought to the table and that his contract is set to expire after the season.
However, there's no better way to bring out the best in a player than by letting him know someone else might take his job. Iron sharpens iron, and the fact that Sanders is getting better has inevitably pushed Watson to be the best version of himself.
Whether that version will be good enough to bring this team to the playoffs remains to be seen. However, this is the first time Watson has had legitimate competition for the job when healthy, and if there's still even the tiniest chance he can return to his former level, this might be the only way to find out.
Watson has never faced this kind of legitimate competition in Cleveland since he arrived in Berea. He's finally being forced to step out of his comfort zone, and as a result, Sanders also has no choice but to step up or be left behind.
There are more than enough reasons to doubt Watson and be worried about the Browns' quarterback room. They have a long road ahead to flip the narrative, and they'll be under a ton of pressure until proven otherwise.
That said, some friendly competition will never hurt a team. This situation should only fuel a fire inside both quarterbacks, and they know their jobs won't be safe all year long, not even if they are named the Week 1 starter.
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