The quarterback situation in the Cleveland Browns is still in limbo. Head coach Todd Monken hasn’t seemed to lean towards either Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders this offseason. However, ahead of training camp, a Browns radio host vehemently cautioned the team against naming the veteran QB1.

“In the past, I would sit here, and I would get all red-faced, and I would mash my hand on the table here, and I would yell and scream that they can’t start that guy, they can’t put that guy on the field,” Cleveland sports radio host Nick Pedone said on 92.3 The Fan. “If they do, I won’t be watching. I don’t even have to say that anymore, okay?

“If they start Deshaun Watson week one, I’ve already got it lined up with Jimmy Hanlin. I’m gonna get really good at golf, and I’m gonna give myself until about week three, because at that point, I expect that either Deshaun Watson will be hurt, similar to what we saw in Conor McGregor last night, the five-year layoff, or he’ll be so laughably bad that it’ll be time for Shedeur Sanders.”

Deshaun Watson’s latest workout videos have Browns fans talking again. This is the last year of his $230 million contract, and might probably be the last ‘prove-it’ year he gets. Throughout this offseason, the veteran QB has dominated conversations around the starting quarterback job at Cleveland. It looks like he’s the likely winner of the race, but Watson’s red flags are still visible.

The last time he played a full season was in 2020, when Deshaun Watson posted 4,823 passing yards for the Houston Texans. That potential was a big reason why Cleveland signed him. However, since then, Watson has missed time due to being suspended for sexual harassment allegations and back-to-back injuries.

Likely, Watson doesn’t rise to the occasion this year, having been inactive for so long. He has played just 19 regular-season games across his first four years in Cleveland.

After the mandatory minicamp in June, Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot noted that his surgically repaired shoulder showed the “slightest bit of fatigue.” On the Orange and Brown Talk podcast, she also added that Watson’s arm seemed to “tail off” a little bit.

That should open up some room for Shedeur Sanders, who delivered the most respectable performance as QB1 for Cleveland last year.

“It’s just going to be too hard for Watson to suddenly revive his career after so much time off the pedestal, and Sanders has the tools to become something awesome in this league,” Brad Gagnon wrote for Bleacher Report. “I’m not convinced he’ll put it all together, but I believe he’ll make it impossible this summer for the Browns to turn away from his high ceiling.”

Head coach Todd Monken maintains the competition remains open. Watson continues training and working toward a full return. How this actually unfolds remains anyone’s guess.