The Cleveland Browns head coach, Todd Monken and his coaching staff are presiding over a wide-open race for the starting job, pitting veteran Deshaun Watson against second-year pro Shedeur Sanders. 

While the scales may tilt slightly in Watson’s favor, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic fired back aggressively against the notion of Cleveland keeping Watson around beyond this season.

“I’ll go back to what I said before. I don’t see a world where I would want him back on this team. I think he should be gone already. I don’t see a world where you possibly want him back on this team after this year. How are you possibly going to hand him another contract?” Lloyd said.

Reports suggest that this intense media backlash stems from what has become one of the most lopsided trades in NFL history.

To acquire Watson from the Houston Texans, Cleveland surrendered a massive haul of draft capital, including first-round picks in 2022, 2023, and 2024, alongside a 2023 third-round pick and a 2024 fourth-round pick. 

Then he signed a five-year, $230 million contract with the Browns, which was fully guaranteed. Lloyd believes there's no way they could match that or go for another contract with Watson, given his performance with the team.

Watson has struggled immensely just to stay on the field, appearing in only 19 games over the course of three seasons. 

When he has played, his performance has been largely underwhelming. Over three years, he has completed just 59.8% of his passes for 2,217 yards and 14 touchdowns.

However, right now, Watson may have an edge over the other QBs in the room.

Deshaun Watson Might Have An Advantage At The QB Competition

Deshaun Watson started his NFL career strong. The Houston Texans picked him 12th overall in the draft, and he became a star player. However, his career slowed down due to off-field issues, poor play, and bad injuries.

Last year, Watson missed the entire season due to a leg injury. Now, he is finally healthy and trying to get his starting job back with the Cleveland Browns.

“My sense is he has the leg up on that quarterback competition right now. The Browns have not made any sort of firm determination yet, but they like Watson’s experience," insider Jeremy Fowler shared an update on ESPN.

Watson has less competition now. Young quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who played some games for the Browns last year, is no longer in the running for the starting spot.

"Watson believes that Todd Monken’s offense, which has some concepts like the air raid out of college, which he’s run in the past, maybe some room to freelance a little bit out of the pocket–he likes that. Feels like it’s a fit,” Fowler added.

However, Watson still has to beat out Shedeur Sanders. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Aaindri Thakuri

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore