The most debated topic in all of football, or so it seems, is the competition for the Browns quarterback position. Saturday was another step toward answering that question.
In the Browns' preseason loss to the Bears, both players got an opportunity to show where they are. The Bears didn't play any of their starters in the first half, and in the second half, the Browns were down a lot of their depth pieces.
The playing field was never level; even so, there are some important takeaways.
Deshaun Watson starts really sharp, but slows down towards the end of the first half.
Deshaun Watson was scheduled to get the entire first half, and he got off on a really strong start. After Cleveland went three-and-out in their first possession, the offense opened up.
Watson showed some arm strength, connecting well with KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston. One of his best plays of the first half came on 3rd and four; he checked into a nice man-beating concept and delivered a great throw to Harold Fannin Jr. against the blitz, but Fannin dropped it.
Dylan down the line!!!#CLEvsCHI on News 5 and NFL Network pic.twitter.com/f3iHjGWAaA
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 15, 2026
Watson looks good with his legs, and while he isn't the athlete he used to be, he still has a little bit in the tank.
Watson's negative came in the second quarter when the backup offensive line came in and the struggles began. Protection broke down consistently, and he lost a lot of the momentum that he had built early. The end of his day was horrible, with a two-minute drill that was just four plays and out, and the Browns limped into halftime.
Watson finished his day going 11-for-15 for 126 yards and no touchdowns. Of those yards, 43 came on a screen play to Dylan Sampson.
Shedeur Sanders starts fast with the backups, ends horribly with a bad interception
Much like Watson, Sanders' afternoon began in a very positive fashion, but it ended horribly as well.
Sanders checked into the game after halftime and immediately made two really nice plays on his first drive. The very first snap was a dropback speed out to Gage Larvadain, only to be followed up by a 35-yard completion to Luke Floriea. Sanders had momentum and kept making great plays.
deep shot through pressure 😮💨#CLEvsCHI on News 5 and NFL Network pic.twitter.com/QzfpBciGE0
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 15, 2026
Then, in the final snaps of his day, all of the goodwill unraveled. Sanders pushed the ball to near midfield and then, on third and eight, Sanders floated a ball over the middle that was intercepted. It was a horrible way to end what was a promising outing.
Sanders finished going 6-for-11 for 126 yards and one interception.
Nothing was solidified on Saturday, but we definitely got much closer to the answer. Deshaun Watson is going to head into the second week of the preseason as the leader in the race. However, the competition is not done. Sanders is going to get the starting job this week against the Bills in joint practices and in next week's game.
The competition continues as the Browns try to find their guy to lead them into the 2026 season.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns QB Battle: Deshaun Watson steps up, Shedeur Sanders regresses