Browns quarterback battle: Shedeur Sanders decent in start, Deshaun Watson struggles, both throw interceptions

The Cleveland Browns have kept their quarterback battle going through nearly a month of training camp and preseason action, so what was an hour delay before gathering their final data points? After Cleveland's Week 2 preseason game against the Buffalo Bills was suspended for roughly an hour due to lightning, Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson got their latest -- and perhaps final -- chances to show they deserve to start Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported the decision could come as soon as Monday.

Sanders got the start and came out on fire, completing all four of his pass attempts on the opening drive. The final connection was an 8-yard touchdown to Luke Floriea.

Overall, Sanders hit on his first eight throws and generally looked comfortable in the pocket and getting through his reads; there appeared to be just one play in which Sanders bailed from a relatively clean pocket, and even then, he managed to turn it into a short gain. When he was asked to execute play-action concepts, Sanders looked smooth and took the easy throws.

It helped that the Bills' pass rush was not particularly active, and Todd Monken gave Sanders lots of easy answers. When the situation wasn't as straightforward -- such as a third-and-15 play -- Sanders was calm, cool and collected ... and accurate.

Arguably Sanders' best play didn't even show up on the stat sheet. On a third-and-5 -- the play right before the one above, in fact -- Sanders scrambled for 13 yards after getting hit in the helmet. The play came back, though, as Zak Zinter got called for holding, and the contact to the helmet went uncalled.

Unfortunately for Sanders, his ninth throw was not a good one, either. The former Colorado star threw behind 2025 undrafted tight end Jermaine Terry II, and the ball deflected up in the air and right to Damar Hamlin.

Overall, Sanders was 9-for-11 for 74 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He took one sack (which lost no yardage) and had a 2-yard run.

Sanders got the ball out quickly for the most part and was generally accurate, except for the interception. His passes traveled, on average, 3.2 yards downfield, a very low number, and a couple of completions that went for minimal gains led to drives fizzling out.

Overall, it was a better performance than Week 1, but the interception certainly put a damper on it.

Deshaun Watson struggles, throws interception

After outperforming Sanders in Week 1, Watson entered in the third quarter and played quite poorly. The embattled, oft-injured quarterback missed both of his throws on the first drive, including an attempt to a well-covered Gage Larvadain that narrowly avoided being intercepted.

On his second drive, Watson got his first completion of the day, but it was an ugly one: a bit high and wide for Davon Booth on a screen that resulted in a 1-yard loss. On third down, Watson did ... whatever this is:

Boos rained down on Watson when he first took the field and when he left the field after both three-and-outs.

His third drive was better ... until it wasn't. He threw low, but complete, to Malachi Corley for 20 yards and had a 9-yard scramble shortly thereafter, but then he threw an interception to Te'Cory Couch.

This is a throw that shouldn't be made in the first place, because it requires perfect ball location. If it's low, short or behind, it's an interception for the cornerback (in this case, No. 36, Jordan Dunbar). If it's even slightly high, as it was here, there's a chance it gets picked by Couch, which is what happened. All this while targeting a Larvadain, who is listed at 5-foot-8. Ironically, Watson almost made the perfect throw, and Larvadain almost made what would have been an excellent catch. Instead, it's a pick.

Watson actually got a little bit more action than expected, playing into the fourth quarter, but he overthrew a deep shot to Corley, who had a step on his defender, on a third-and-6 and then threw behind Floriea on fourth-and-6. Boos ensued again.

Overall, Watson finished 5-for-12 for 35 yards and an interception. He ran twice for 13 yards.

Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders: Who starts Week 1?

Watson was believed to be in the lead for the Week 1 starting job, and Jared Verse even said Friday, "I think I have a vibe of who I think will go out there." If the Browns are truly taking every snap into account, though, there was a clear better player Saturday.

Watson's major struggles when things get even slightly off-kilter -- he gets pressured, his first read isn't open, or even if he just has to move in the pocket -- showed. So did his general inaccuracy. For example, on the 20-yard completion to Corley, he threw the ball low, forcing Corley to go to the ground, rather than catch the ball with a chance for YAC. And that was Watson's best play of the day.

Here are the numbers through two preseason games. GM Andrew Berry said during the broadcast that game performance is just one factor, obviously, but this provides some context.

Again, there is much, much more going into the decision than just the numbers above. Still, Saturday especially was a win for Sanders, and even if it's not deemed enough for him to start Week 1, there's a good chance we see both quarterbacks play significant snaps in 2026.