Shedeur Sanders Addresses Criticism as Deshaun Watson Heats Up Browns’ QB1 Race

Shedeur Sanders isn’t reading the headlines anymore. As the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback competition tightens, the second-year passer says he’s learned to filter out the noise surrounding his every rep — even as a resurgent Deshaun Watson makes his case for the starting job.

Sanders sat down with ESPN’s Kevin Clark for the “This Is Football” podcast and explained the mental shift he’s made heading into year two. Clark shared highlights from the conversation on X on August 5, noting the discussion centered on Sanders staying present and tuning out outside distractions.

I asked Shedeur Sanders about his mindset change in year 2, which he said is focused on staying in the moment each day and ignoring the outside world.

"Understand what really matters in this world."

Really enjoyed this sitdown. pic.twitter.com/AzQhWkKb9A

— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) August 5, 2026

“I’m understanding what really matters in this world and what really doesn’t,” Sanders said. “That’s what I crack down on.”

He was careful to separate criticism of his play from something else that bothers him more.

“I don’t really like when people have platforms and don’t use it for the right reasons,” Sanders said. “I don’t respect it. So, it’s like, things I don’t respect, I don’t give my time to.”

Sanders unplugs to stay focused

Part of that mental reset, Sanders said, has meant cutting television out of his routine entirely. Fewer outside voices, he explained, means more energy for the job in front of him: winning Cleveland’s starting job under new head coach Todd Monken.

That job is very much still up for grabs. Berea has turned into a daily audition for both Sanders and Watson, and the results have swung practice to practice. Through the first several sessions, Sanders built an edge, completing better than 70% of his throws and leading Watson in touchdown passes, according to a training-camp tracker from PrizePicks’ Playbook. Watson, meanwhile, opened camp in a slump, throwing six interceptions across his first four practices.

Watson answers with his best day of camp

Wednesday flipped the script. Watson completed 17 of 20 passes for seven touchdowns and zero interceptions across 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills, according to ESPN Cleveland’s camp report, cited by ClutchPoints. He also took every first-team rep that day — notable given Monken’s stated belief that first-team reps tend to track with who wins these battles. The performance reportedly drew a blunt two-word reaction from ESPN personality Pat McAfee.

Browns beat writer Scott Petrak, covering the same practice for BrownsZone, described Watson as finally breaking out of a weeklong slump — accurate, efficient and decisive after days of uneven ball security.

It’s the kind of outing the Browns needed to see from Watson, who has played in just seven games total over the last three seasons after two separate Achilles tears. He appeared in every game in 2025 but finished with modest numbers: 1,148 yards and five touchdowns.

Monken lays out the plan to settle it

Head coach Todd Monken has begun sketching out how the competition actually gets decided. According to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, relayed by CBS Sports, Monken plans to start one quarterback in Cleveland’s preseason opener against the Chicago Bears on Aug. 15, and the other in the following game against the Buffalo Bills on Aug. 22. Whichever quarterback is viewed as the leader after those two outings is expected to get the start in the preseason finale against the New England Patriots on Aug. 27 — a game Monken has suggested could effectively determine the Week 1 starter.

Monken hasn’t named which quarterback goes first against Chicago. Speaking to reporters, per Yardbarker’s recap of Pro Football Talk’s reporting, he added a caveat: it isn’t guaranteed both quarterbacks get a start in the first two games at all. “If it’s still a competition at that time, why wouldn’t you start one and start the other, and then we would go from there?” Monken said.

Monken has also been specific about what each quarterback needs to clean up. Per Wolfe’s reporting, he wants Sanders to get in and out of the huddle faster and speed up his decision-making. For Watson, the ask is simpler: protect the football.

Camp stats through the QB battle

Neither quarterback has separated himself definitively. Sanders built an early statistical edge before Watson’s breakout Wednesday, and Monken has repeatedly said he doesn’t weigh 7-on-7 results heavily on their own. What’s clear is that both players know the next three weeks — through two preseason games and a joint practice with Buffalo on Aug. 20 — will shape who takes the first snap in Jacksonville on Sept. 13.

For Sanders, the plan is to let the noise pass through him rather than absorb it. “Everybody’s goal is aligned here,” he told reporters recently. “That’s why we don’t have the petty quarterback battles internally. That’s not up to us. It’s up to whoever the coaches think put their best foot forward.”