Browns to Reassess QB After Week 2; Shedeur Sanders May Start, Report Says

The Cleveland Browns held the most publicized quarterback battle of the offseason, but the winner of said battle may not see Week 3.

The Browns will reevaluate their quarterback situation following their Week 2 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , according to ESPN . That sparks the possibility Shedeur Sanders replaces Deshaun Watson under center for Cleveland's home opener against the Carolina Panthers .

The Browns fell to the Jacksonville Jaguars in their season opener, 34-10. Watson completed 16 of 22 passes for 205 yards, one touchdown and one interception in his first game in 693 days. First-year coach Todd Monken's offense never got off the ground, recording 272 total yards and converting just one of eight third downs. Watson actually led the team in rushing with 38 yards on six carries. His performance reportedly left those in the building feeling "frustrated."

Monken has defended Watson, and even said that he didn't anticipate the issue of his starting quarterback being a week-to-week issue. But a poor performance against the Buccaneers could mean a change under center.

One could argue that Sanders actually earned the starting job if you look at preseason stats, but Monken decided on the veteran, given the "full body of work."

"(I) took in the full body of work over the course of offseason to training camp to the games, the joint practice, and ultimately felt like to start the season on the road Deshaun gave us the best chance to move the ball and score points -- I mean that's really what it's about," Monken said last month. "I felt that way going into last game but wasn't sure, and after we talked as a staff and after we relooked at everything, we're gonna go that direction."

While the son of NFL legend Deion Sanders made the Pro Bowl as a rookie, he was statistically one of the worst quarterbacks. Following his NFL debut in Week 11, Sanders recorded the second-worst completion percentage (57%) and threw the most interceptions (10). His 68.1 passer rating ranked second-worst in the league, as did his TD-INT ratio (7-10). With that being said, he definitely injected some energy into this fan base.

In Sanders' first NFL start, which came in Week 12, the Browns defeated the Las Vegas Raiders , 24-10. He completed 11 of 20 passes for 209 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and became the first Browns quarterback since 1995 to win their first start. Previously, Browns quarterbacks went 0-17 in their first starts dating back to 1999. The last quarterback to win his first career start for the Browns was Eric Zeier, who was coached by Bill Belichick.

Sanders also became the first player in Browns history to throw for 350 yards, three touchdowns and rush for a touchdown in a single game during a Week 14 loss to the Tennessee Titans . The only other rookie quarterback to register that kind of stat line was Joe Burrow in 2020, according to CBS Sports Research.

If Watson can't jump-start the Browns' offense on Sunday, then it could be Sanders' time.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/browns-qb-deshaun-watson-shedeur-sanders/)._