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No one knows what's going to happen with the quarterback position for the Cleveland Browns this season. They didn't make it easy on themselves, adding two veterans and two rookies to battle it out, with big money failure Deshaun Watson still nursing an Achilles injury. Making everything more intriguing, yet more difficult of a decision, was the team drafting Shedeur Sanders after a lengthy slide.
Sanders brings with him extensive national media coverage, but he also brings a great prospect profile fortified by impeccable college production, in addition to his positive and uplifting personality. Competing with Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel for snaps, Sanders has made a very good first impression with head coach Kevin Stefanski and his Browns teammates.
The strong start has many thinking Sanders will end up getting playing time at some point in 2025. He may not win the starting job outright, but he could earn his way into snaps, especially if the other QBs don't show enough on the field.
Could Jimmy Haslam force Kevin Stefanski to play Deshaun Watson for trade value?
Getting Sanders in-game reps could be crucial for his NFL development, but could Browns owner Jimmy Haslam stunt that potential development by forcing Stefanski to play Watson? That's a theory that Max Loeb from the Honor The Land podcast covering the Browns thinks could happen.
In Loeb's eyes, the door is closed on Watson getting snaps in a Browns uniform if Stefanski or Browns GM Andrew Berry are the ones making the call. But Haslam has been a very intrusive owner in the past, and he could make the call from above if Cleveland's season isn't going according to plan.
Playing Watson could be a disaster, particularly if he plays poorly. The upside would be that if he plays well, he could be shopped around for a trade, or he plays so well that he becomes part of the Browns' future plans once again.