NFL insider shares warning for Shedeur Sanders amid Deshaun Watson competition

The perception exists that veteran Deshaun Watson will enter training camp later in July as the favorite to win the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback job over 2025 rookie Shedeur Sanders later this summer. 

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk is among the NFL insiders who have covered the Browns' quarterback competition since this past spring. For a piece published on Wednesday, Florio sent a message to Sanders regarding how the second-year pro could leapfrog Watson on the depth chart before August comes to an end. 

Why Todd Monken may be pushing Shedeur Sanders to improve certain habits

"Shedeur is a gamer," Florio wrote. "He performs when it counts. He has yet to embrace the process of checking various boxes in practice. And, in my opinion, new Browns coach Todd Monken is trying his damnedest to get Shedeur to do that. ...My guess — and it’s just a guess — is that, at some point, Monken explained to Shedeur that he can’t wait until the games to flip the switch. He needs to earn the right to have that opportunity by doing all of the little things when it’s not a live situation. If that’s what happened, it may have worked." 

As Florio referenced, Sanders reportedly closed the gap in the competition by the time Cleveland's mandatory minicamp wrapped up in June. Since then, Watson has spent portions of the NFL's ongoing summer break working out with multiple Browns players. That could lead one to believe that Watson understands he hasn't yet been promised anything regarding the Week 1 QB1 gig. 

Sanders and Watson are both on track to play when the Browns open the preseason with a game at the Chicago Bears on Aug. 15. Florio seems to think Sanders will have a chance to earn the right to start that contest in practices leading up to the middle of August. 

Will Shedeur Sanders prove he's ready to be a full-time QB1?

"The test will be training camp," Florio added. "Every day, every practice, every rep. Focus, effort, repeat. Along the way, Shedeur will become better prepared to perform when it’s time to do so. ...Shedeur has shown he can be good. Monken’s goal will be to get Shedeur to make the full commitment to being great. Which means ditching any traces of a Brett Favre-style mindset of not caring about anything but the game and caring deeply about everything else."

Of course, Sanders showing such dedication to the cause may not matter if Watson produces better overall performances from the first training-camp practice through Cleveland's preseason finale against the New England Patriots on Aug. 27.