After a day or so of pretending they would make a switch, the Cleveland Browns named their starting quarterback. Deshaun Watson will return to the starting lineup this week as the Browns take on his former team, the Houston Texans.
There was some speculation that Cleveland could turn to Shedeur Sanders after his performance last week. Sanders almost pulled off a comeback win over the New Orleans Saints, with nearly 300 yards passing and two touchdowns. Clearly, this was not enough to sway Cleveland’s coaching staff, as Sanders returns to his backup quarterback duties.
If Cleveland were to make the switch to Shedeur Sanders it would have been somewhat understandable. Sure, the Browns have won five of the eight games Deshaun Watson has started this season, but it hasn’t been pretty. Cleveland’s offense is a rough watch week-in and week-out. It’s like a lifeless amorphous blob that sort of sloths its way down the field by pure chance. Only occasionally putting points up on the scoreboard if it feels like it. All things considered, turning to an alternative when this is the norm would not be an unwise choice.
Deshaun Watson has completed 65.5% of his passes this year for 1,806 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. These do not seem too terrible, but it’s not impressive either. That’s before even acknowledging the 33 times he has been sacked this year, most in the NFL.
Even with his so-so performance, expect Deshaun Watson to remain the starter in Cleveland. The Browns are still in the playoff mix and as long as that stays true there’s no reason for them to make a change. Should Watson’s play decline, it could create a difficult situation to navigate in Berea. The calls for Sanders will only get louder and they’ll be impossible to ignore.
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