Shedeur Sanders’ glaring weakness exposed as Browns icon urges new coaches to avoid mistakes of 2025

Todd Monken was supposed to have decided on the order of his quarterback depth chart by now.

While Dillon Gabriel is seemingly out of the equation to be handed the Cleveland Browns starting job, the battle between $230 million veteran Deshaun Watson and the high-profile young star Shedeur Sanders only continues to heat up.

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Mandatory minicamp has come and gone, and Monken and Co. appear to be no closer to to making an official decision.

But if Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Thomas were to bet money on it, then he would say the starting job will likely go to Watson.

“I think coming out of the offseason, it seems like Deshaun Watson is probably going to be the guy going into training camp as the starter,” Thomas said in an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show.

“He looks pretty healthy coming off that Achilles tear that he had. I think the experience that he has playing football, the arm looks like it’s still there, and the legs look like they’ve come back.”

“That’s one thing that Shedeur doesn’t exactly bring you right now is the ability to scramble. He’s not exceptional at using his legs to get a first down. Although he is very good at scrambling to make plays to be able to throw the football.

“I think Deshaun, right now, gives that offense a little bit more versatility to be able to open things up and be more dynamic. And, I think he’ll probably be the guy.”

Browns players currently carrying ‘extra layer of burden’ due to indecision

Sanders fought his way up from being fourth on the depth chart in 2025 to being the starter for the final seven games of the 2025 NFL season, and was even named a Pro Bowl replacement.

But his advanced progress from Year 1 to Year 2 has caught the attention of many in and around the league.

However, the general consensus remains that Watson holds the edge – albeit only a slight one – over the former Colorado Buffaloes star.

Thomas, though, believes that the decision by the Browns head coach needs to be made sooner rather than later so that the rest of the team around them can prepare accordingly — an advantage they were not handed under the previous staff in 2025.

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“Competition is always a good thing. I think Todd’s words were more to the the line of we want to have a clear starter going in, so we know how reps are going to be split up to begin training camp,” Thomas said.

“So that all the guys that are going to be working around him, they know who the person is that is going to be under center that they’re going to work with. They know the guy that’s going to be calling the plays.

“The receivers have a chance to get ready and prepared … because I think it is good knowing at that position at least what the depth chart looks like. … I think just having some certainty [is a benefit], so it’s not a question that everybody’s getting asked every single week.”

Thomas claims that the rest of the players on the team are currently carrying around an ‘extra layer of burden’ ahead of training camp, due to the unknown of who will be under center for them in 2026.

“When you’re a receiver, when you’re a tackle, when you’re a running back, you want to focus on getting yourself better and being the best version of yourself, so you can help your teammates,” the 2023 Hall of Fame inductee added.

“And if everybody’s always asking you, ‘Who’s looking better? Who’s number one? Who’s taking more reps? What’s going on at the quarterback position?’ It just puts an extra layer of burden on you as you’re trying to figure out your fit within that offense.

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“And so I think Todd just wanted to be able to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to name who’s first, who’s second. We’ll split up the reps. Give everybody certainty’, and then the competition happens within that structure, which I think gives everybody just a little bit more calm and stability in training camp.

“Training camp is where you’re getting all your work … And then they can find out with true competition who’s looking the best, and then maybe after a week or two they might make a switch depending on how those guys are both playing.”

The wait goes on for an official decision to be made.

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