Pro Football Rumors
One of the more intriguing position battles to watch this offseason has been in Cleveland, where recovering veteran Deshaun Watson and second-year passer Shedeur Sanders have been competing for the Browns’ starting quarterback position. New head coach Todd Monken hasn’t been too descriptive so far on what exactly he’s looking for, but a recent report from Zac Jackson of The Athletic indicates that Monken wants a mobile quarterback.
This does track, to some degree, with Monken’s experience calling plays in the NFL. In his time with the Buccaneers, Browns, and Ravens, Monken worked with Jameis Winston, Baker Mayfield, and Lamar Jackson. While Winston and Mayfield are certainly not considered peers of Jackson in terms of running the football, both players have displayed impressive mobility in their careers that have allowed them to scramble and throw on the run. Recognizing Monken’s desire for mobility, one can only look back and note how spoiled he was working with Jackson for the past three years.
Watson is the mobile option in Cleveland’s quarterbacks room at this point in time. Again, the 30-year-old is not quite in the same circle as Jackson, but over his last three years in Houston, Watson averaged about 470 yards per season on the ground, adding 15 touchdowns with his legs. He hasn’t been able to appear in more than six or seven games so far in his tenure with the Browns, but his rushing yards per game in 19 contests have been comparable to those performances in Houston.
In his short, eight-game rookie sample last year, Sanders showed an improved mobility to what he displayed at Colorado, if just barely. In college, sacks count as negative rushing yards against quarterbacks, and he ended each of his two seasons with the Buffaloes with around 50-75 more sack yards than rushing yards. He stayed positive in that category last year with the Browns as his 169 rushing yards outweighed his yards lost to sacks. Essentially, Sanders is willing to take the open yardage when it’s given, but he isn’t much of a creator on the ground.
There are two things evening the playing field in this battle. Unfortunately for Monken, Watson’s lower-body injuries have surely had a negative affect on his mobility over the past few years. Additionally, Jackson reports that Watson has not been able to shake the inconsistency that has plagued him throughout his time in Cleveland. Monken wants a mobile quarterback, but he’s previously said he will start whoever gives the team the best chance to store. With that determination still undecided, the battle for the starting job will go on.
