The Cleveland Browns are still making quarterback news six days before their Week 1 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Deshaun Watson was named QB1 early in the preseason, and that's still the case. When it comes to QB2, however, head coach Todd Monken is gearing up for an unexpected curveball.
Monken told reporters on Monday that rookie QB Taylen Green "could be" Watson's primary backup on Sunday over Shedeur Sanders. That comes as quite the shock, as Sanders was the QB competing with Watson for the starting job in camp. Moreover, Sanders pretty thoroughly outperformed Watson in preseason, even if that's a deceptively low bar.
Is Taylen Green better than Shedeur Sanders?
The answer: We don't know!
There's no way to say, with confidence, that Sanders is better than Green. The sixth-round pick out of Arkansas was mostly out of sight, out of mind in Browns camp, insofar as the majority of the media attention was focused on Watson, Sanders and to a lesser extent, Dillon Gabriel. Green made the 53-man roster, though, which should have been our first sign that Cleveland believes in the rookie.
What I can write with a bit more confidence is that Sanders is better than Watson. The latter is only starting because of seniority and, more pointedly, money. If the Browns weren't tens of millions of dollars underwater on the Watson contract, he wouldn't touch the field. But Cleveland has to save face, or at least pretend like Watson can still sling it, even if there's a mountain of evidence to the contrary.
Therein lies the issue with Cleveland's current setup. Watson might be their fourth-best quarterback but he's going to start in Week 1. And while Sanders certainly has the most cachet after his storybook college career at Colorado, it's not like he has shown much in the NFL. He was downright terrible last season for the Browns — a marginal upgrade over fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel in what was the saddest QB room in recent memory.
While the Browns investing in Green's dual-threat skill set is understandable, it does read as disrispect to Sanders. You can't go through camp propping up Sanders as a potential starter, maybe your future, only to bury him on the depth chart for Week 1. If the Browns determine that Green has more upside and is thus more worthy of a trial run once Watson is inevitably benched, that's fine. But the Browns need to trade Sanders while there's still a hint of value. There's no reason to carry four quarterbacks you don't trust on the roster, and Sanders probably has the most trade value of any Browns signal-caller. Even if that means he might snag Cleveland a late Day 3 pick.
Let's dive into some potential landing spots:
New York Jets
Trust the Jets offense at your own peril, but New York has a functional O-line and some real playmaking talent around Geno Smith, who's one of the most ambitious gunslingers in the NFL. The Jets probably won't be a "good" offensive team, but they could be fun and occasionally explosive. Aaron Glenn is under immense pressure to show progress this season and as a result, Smith probably has a strong grip on the starting job.
That said, there's also a chance Smith's turnover problems follow him from Las Vegas to East Rutherford, in which case New York could once again be stuck at the bottom of the standings, searching in vain for an answer to their neverending quarterback woes.
Taking a flier on Sanders wouldn't be the worst idea. Is a trade to New York ideal for Sanders' development? Definitely not. Too many quarterbacks have seen their careers die a slow, painful death in a Jets uniform. From the Jets' perspective, however, Sanders is a QB2 with some latent upside. Might as well roll the dice.
Indianapolis Colts
So long as Daniel Jones can stay healthy, he is Indianapolis' starter of the present and the future. He was one of the best QBs in the NFL last season before injuries took the bite out of the Colts. He's a seamless fit in Shane Steichen's offense and we probably aren't talking about Indy enough. The Colts are a real sleeper.
That said, Indianapolis does not have a backup quarterback it feels good about. Anthony Richardson Sr. only made the roster due to lack of alternatives. Riley Leonard stuck around as QB3, but it's hard to get excited about his future.
It could be worth burning a Day 3 pick on Sanders, just to see how he looks in a functional scheme with actual talent around him. Maybe he's still a mediocre backup, but the Colts could use a mediocre backup, just in case of emergency. Sometimes the best development spot for a quarterback isn't where he can play the most — it's where he can learn the ropes with proper infrastructure and support.
Washington Commanders
If Sanders ends up as QB3 in Cleveland, it will be hard to complain about being QB3 in Washington. The Commanders are pretty much set with Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota, but it's probably worth finding a better third-stringer than Athan Kaliakmanis.
Washington's QB room is riddled with injury concerns. Daniels has always had trouble keeping himself out of harm's way. Behind this Commanders O-line, which is about as protective as a No Trespassing sign in Grand Theft Auto, Daniels is going to take some hits. Mariota was excellent when called upon last season, but the 32-year-old is no spring chicken and no stranger to IR stints.
The Commanders can develop Sanders on the back burner and if injuries pile up, he'd at least give them a bit of experience to fall back on.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are hoping to rejoin the contenders circle this season with a better defense and a bit more muscle in front of Joe Burrow in the trenches. That said, Burrow has been oft-injured to the point where trusting him to start 17 games is foolhardy. That's not to say it cannot or will not happen, but Cincy needs to have contingency plans in place.
Joe Flacco is pushing strong into his early 40s and can still let it rip, but he's immobile and turnover prone. If Flacco finally loses his staring contest with Father Time — or if he gets hurt, too — the Bengals are fresh out of decent options. Flacco has already "competed" with Sanders for a job once upon a time, but that relationship appeared pretty healthy from the outside. Why not let Sanders learn from two experienced QBs with Super Bowl experience?
The Bengals' offense is supercharged, which helps. Sanders would be throwing to some of the best wideouts in the NFL, a refreshing change of pace from the weekly slog in Cleveland. The Browns might shudder at the optics of trading Sanders to a division rival, but if he's your third- or fourth-favorite quarterback, "optics" go out the window.
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