The coaching staff might have handed Deshaun Watson the keys to the Cleveland offense, but one analyst is already calling for a driver swap. Carter Bahns of CBS Sports is out here predicting Shedeur Sanders takes over the huddle by Week 4, just in time for a Thursday night showdown with Pittsburgh. That is a bold claim, especially with Watson barely getting started.
The Pressure Cooker Starts Now For Watson
This whole opening stretch of the schedule is a straight-up audition for Watson, and Bahns figures he is gonna fail it fast. Cleveland kicks off with two road trips, first to Jacksonville, then to Tampa Bay. Most people expect the Browns to drop both of those games. Imagine the pressure compounding before they even step onto their home turf for Week 3. Head coach Todd Monken tried to defend giving Watson the starting gig, leaning hard on his experience. Monken argued a veteran gives the roster a better shot at stealing a win on those tough road trips than a signal-caller in his second season. If they actually snag one of those games, or somehow both, then Monken’s logic holds. But if they go 0-2, the home crowd for Week 3 against Carolina is going to be brutal. Supporters have already made it plain they are not exactly thrilled to greet Watson, and a winless start would absolutely sharpen that mood. Monken might be stubborn, but even he has to feel the heat. He would probably still run Watson out there for the Panthers game, though.
A Brutal Start, Or A Smarter Play?
Here is the real wrinkle in Bahns’s timeline: if Sanders inherits the job for that Week 4 Thursday nighter against Pittsburgh, it is a brutal first test. We are talking a division rival on a short week, with barely any runway to even install a game plan. That is a rough draw for anybody under center, but it is even rougher for a guy with just seven career NFL starts. Throwing him into that spot feels like an ambush engineered to disappoint. Bahns laid it out flat: “Shedeur Sanders will be the Browns’ starter by Week 4.” He even added, “Nothing Watson has shown since his arrival in Cleveland suggests he can hang on to the job. If he struggles in the Browns’ two road games to open the year, he will hear about it from the home fans in Week 3. That should be the last straw.” There is a cleaner path, though. If Watson does make it to the home opener in Week 3, the Browns could hold him one more week. Then, Sanders could debut in Week 5 at the New York Jets. That swap trades a short week against Pittsburgh for extra prep time against what Bahns calls a “softer opponent.” For a young quarterback trying to build something, that gentler runway absolutely beats the ambush. It seems like the schedule, not just the depth chart, might actually decide when Cleveland pulls the trigger.
So, keep your eyes peeled on those first two road games. Watson’s job could be on the line super early, and if he falters, a young Shedeur Sanders could be thrown into the deep end against a division rival. Or, maybe, just maybe, they play it smart and give him a real chance to prep for the Jets. Either way, the Browns QB situation is about to get spicy.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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