Shedeur Sanders didn’t hide how he felt about the way Browns fans treated Deshaun Watson on Saturday.
After Cleveland supporters booed Watson throughout the preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, Sanders pushed back on the reaction and said the quarterback deserved better from the home crowd. He made it clear that, in his view, the noise crossed a line.
“I don’t appreciate that at all,” Sanders said. “Just regardless of competition, we all human beings, and I think we all need to understand that.”
Sanders also took a moment to thank the fans for being there, while urging them to keep the situation in perspective.
“Just for all the fans and everything, I really appreciate ya’ll showing up and everything,” Sanders said. “And however ya’ll feel about the situation, about with Deshaun, about with everything, still I think it’s about bigger purpose of just respect.”
Watson, for his part, addressed the boos after the game and called them disrespectful. He finished 5 of 12 for 36 yards and threw one interception.
“It has nothing to do with performance. It’s a little more personal than that. It’s a disrespectful thing,” Watson said, per Zac Jackson of The Athletic.
Watson also pointed back to his last appearance at Cleveland Browns Stadium, saying he tore his Achilles in that game and that the same fans cheered after the injury.
The quarterback situation only got louder after Sanders put together a strong outing against Buffalo. That performance immediately sparked more public debate about Cleveland’s direction, with several analysts arguing the Browns should move on with the rookie.
“I mean, the Browns simply cannot name Deshaun Watson the starting quarterback after this,” Ben Axelrod wrote.
Brad Stainbrook also called for the Browns to cut Watson.
Head coach Todd Monken now has a major call to make, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Monken expected to decide between Sanders and Watson by Monday. Fowler said, “What Shedeur Sanders does today is a major data point in the process. He won’t have all the starters with him, but he will have a few guys with the first-team offense going at it.”
Monken is set to go back through the tape with his staff before making the final choice. Cleveland’s final preseason game comes next Thursday against the New England Patriots, and that matchup could give him one last look before the Browns settle their Week 1 quarterback plans.
In Other News...
Browns Preseason Rout Put One Young QB Suddenly In Focus
The Browns preseason trip to Buffalo ended in a 31-7 loss, but the score line did not tell the whole story for Clevelands quarterback room. Shedeur Sanders made the most of his snaps, throwing with enough rhythm to complete a high percentage of his passes and guide a scoring drive, the kind of showing that can shift the conversation even in August.
Deshaun Watsons third-quarter work did not have the same clean look, which only sharpened the contrast on a night when Cleveland still found encouraging signs elsewhere. Mike Hall Jr., Luke Floriea, Donovan McMillon and Kole Wilson also turned in positive moments, but the bigger question now is whether Sanders performance was just a preseason flash or the start of something more interesting for the Browns. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Fans Are Suddenly Split Over Shedeur Sanders Noise
Shedeur Sanders has quickly become one of the more talked-about names around the Browns, and not just because of what he might do on the field. Since Cleveland selected him in last years draft, the quarterback has drawn a growing split between parts of the fan base and the local media, with some supporters pushing back hard against the criticism they feel he is getting.
Todd Monken added another layer to the conversation by saying the Browns will announce their starter soon, with the opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars set for Sept. 13. For now, there has been no official word on any roster move involving Sanders, but the noise around him has only made the quarterback discussion feel more charged as the regular season gets closer. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Edge Rush Suddenly Has A Problem Fans Can't Ignore
The Browns had already spent the offseason trying to stabilize the edge, and then Alex Wrights injury turned a lingering need into a real problem. Wright is expected to miss the season with an Achilles injury, leaving Cleveland to reshuffle a defensive end group that had counted on his development since the team drafted him in 2022. Over 51 games, he had become a familiar part of the rotation, which made the timing especially difficult for a defense still trying to find its best shape.
Derek Barnett is the latest answer, giving Cleveland a veteran presence with nine NFL seasons behind him. It is the kind of move teams make when they need someone who can step in quickly and understand the job without much ramp-up time, and it adds a proven body to a position that suddenly looks thinner than it did a few weeks ago. The bigger question now is how the Browns plan to manage the rest of the edge depth as they wait to see how the rest of the room settles. [Read more 🡒]