When Shedeur Sanders lost the Cleveland Browns’ offseason quarterback battle to Deshaun Watson, everyone assumed that it was only a matter of time before Sanders started a game.
Now, as the team prepares for Week 9, the time may have arrived.
Watson, who has started all season, was placed in concussion protocol on Tuesday. The veteran QB has a chance to clear protocol before Sunday’s game, but Cleveland is currently preparing as if Sanders will start on Sunday.
Even if Watson can get cleared by Saturday, the Browns may still go with Sanders since he will have the bulk of, if not all, the practice reps this week.
That would set the second-year quarterback up for his first start of the season, and he might not have been able to ask for a better opponent. The Browns will face the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, and if there is a defense for a young quarterback to jump into the lineup against, it’s definitely this one.
Saints’ struggling defense could help Shedeur Sanders and the Browns offense get rolling
New Orleans is coming off its bye week at 2-5, and its defense is a big reason why it has five losses.
The Saints are allowing 372.7 yards per game (28th in the NFL) and 27.7 points per game, which ranks 29th in the league. They are giving up 233.3 passing yards per game (23rd) and 139.4 rushing yards per game (29th).
To be fair, the Browns haven’t been a good offense this season, so New Orleans’ defense could be looking at them as an opportunity to get right. Cleveland is only posting 301.9 yards per game (24th) and 17.4 points per game (29th). Still, even with the Browns having their own struggles, it helps to be going against a struggling unit when possibly starting a new quarterback.
For Sanders, who has only played five snaps this season, a start against the Saints would be an opportunity for him to bring life to a struggling Browns offense. In eight total games last season, seven that he started, Sanders completed 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. The team was 3-4 in his starts. He also added 169 rushing yards and one additional touchdown on the ground.
This season, in his limited snaps, Sanders has completed all three of his passes for a combined 2 yards. On Sunday, Sanders could be asked to do a lot more — and he’ll be facing a defense that makes doing a lot possible.
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