When Todd Monken took over as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, he made it clear that he would like to have a quarterback depth chart heading into training camp. Now, with the Browns' offseason program nearly complete, Monken has admitted the team probably won’t meet that deadline.
The head coach stood in front of the media on Wednesday and made some very transparent comments about the quarterback competition unfolding between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson. Monken admitted that his thoughts on who should start changes with the day, ultimately arguing that Cleveland has two starting-level quarterbacks.
While the first-year head coach made that statement to explain how even the battle has been, thus far, his comments may have already revealed who should be the starter. If Watson and Sanders are currently equal, Cleveland should move forward with Shedeur Sanders as its starting quarterback.
Browns should start Shedeur Sanders after latest QB competition reveal
There’s a common position battle saying that if things are equal between a younger and older player, go with the younger player. That should especially be the case in Cleveland right now. Sanders being even with Watson at this point of the offseason should be all Monken needs to see to know that Sanders should be the starter.
Watson is entering his 10th season as an NFL player; Sanders is only entering his second. Based on experience, the veteran Watson should absolutely be separating himself from the younger Sanders. The fact that he isn’t is a good sign for Sanders.
Because Watson has been around so long, it’s reasonable to argue that he probably isn’t going to get any better. In fact, he’s at the point in his career where most players start regressing. Sanders, on the other hand, should only be improving. If the two are currently crossing paths at an even level, it would make sense to hitch your wagon to the person walking uphill, not the one walking down.
A case can be made that Watson is still finding his groove after only playing 19 games in the last five years, and that his play could see a slight improvement as a result, but that’s even more reason not to go with him as the starter. What sense would it make to start an older player, coming off multiple significant injuries, if he’s not even better than the younger player on the roster who has a chance to significantly improve?
Ultimately, Monken will need to get a better look at the two quarterbacks in training camp, when Cleveland’s practices will be more reflective of what a game day would look like. If things are still even in the quarterback competition at that point, Shedeur Sanders should definitely be named the Browns' starting quarterback.
While he may be even with Watson at the moment, Sanders’ best days should be ahead of him, and Watson’s are likely far behind.
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