Shedeur Sanders‘ climb to the top was pretty much a chance occurrence at best. A trade and an injury later, the 24-year-old found himself actually starting games for the Cleveland Browns, initially an almost impossible predicament given Sanders’ unprecedented draft slide. He finished with a 3-4 record, 1400 yards, 7 touchdowns, but 10 interceptions. It would seem a starting job wouldn’t be too far out of reach, especially with the kind of familiarity he has with new head coach, Todd Monken. But things look a lot different in reality.

Veteran Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot was especially no-nonsense when assessing Sanders’ probability of gaining an edge inside Cleveland’s impending QB competition. With the team scheduled to play six of their first nine games away from home, the reporter identified a factor that will influence head coach Todd Monken to give Watson the key to the offense over Sanders.

“I really believe that Todd Monken will choose his starting quarterback based on who gives the Browns the best chance to win, but if Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders are really close down to the wire, the road-heavy early slate could be a factor,” Mary Kay Cabot wrote. “The Browns will field arguably the youngest offense in the NFL, with a rookie left tackle in Spencer Fano, a possible rookie starting center in Parker Brailsford, two rookie receivers in KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston, and second-year players in tight end Harold Fannin Jr. and running backs Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson.

“With so many young players, as well as five new starters on the offensive line, Monken might want a more experienced quarterback to help manage the game. Watson is also 7-0 against the Jaguars, and has never lost in Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium — the Browns’ first two opponents.”

Notably, this comes after Deshaun Watson made a show at the practice field in Berea in late April for his first minicamp in nearly two seasons. And if we are to go by reports, the expected QB1 “did look like an athletic Pro Bowl quarterback” and “pretty darn athletic”.

Coming off an Achilles injury in 2024, missing all of 2025 and now in the final year of his contract before hitting free agency next offseason, this does seem like good news. But what helps most is how Watson has immediately found a rhythm inside the team, and most so with his head coach.

“[Deshaun Watson] will be a factor in OTAs when they start going with first-team reps, second-team reps,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on SportsCenter this week. “So, he’s been a factor already on the practice field. I’m told he’s hit it off with Todd Monken, who’s got an offensive concept, some elements that Watson has run in the past and been his best at; a little bit of a departure from what they were running with Kevin Stefanski.”

There’s no denying that the head coach may prefer to put someone with experience in the middle. Watson, currently 30, fits that picture perfectly. On top of that, the Browns will be facing the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1, followed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The three-time Pro Bowler is 7-0 against the Jaguars and has never lost at Raymond James Stadium.

These stats further widen Watson’s chances while narrowing Sander’s hopes. Besides, Watson has only played 19 games in three seasons, completing 61% of his passes with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, while being sacked 70 times.

Unfortunately, this news came around the same time when Shedeur Sanders was set to lose his one advantage over Watson.

Deion Sanders’ interference said to prove costly to Shedeur Sanders

From Pee Wee football to the NCAA, Shedeur Sanders has played under his father, NFL legend Deion Sanders. And throughout all those years, Deion remained silent and let his son choose his own path. But that seems to have changed now. Recently, he appeared on The Barbershop podcast and expressed his desire to speak to head coach Todd Monken about Sanders.

“I want to meet him because I think it’s vital that as a coach, not the dad, I can tell him a few things about Shedeur, how to get him going,” said Deion Sanders during a live appearance on The Barbershop podcast Thursday.

It is great that Deion wants to help his son, but his wanting to help Monken on how to coach Shedeur did not sit well with the fans. Many feel it to be disrespectful to a veteran coach like Monken. Of course, Sanders has excelled under his father, adding over 7,300 passing yards and 64 touchdowns in the last two seasons at Colorado.

But every coach has a different method of approach. Moreover, parents meddling in the NFL can leave a poor impression. Wide receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside is an example of how parents’ interference can ruin careers. After getting drafted in 2019, he trained with the Philadelphia Eagles in South Philly. Since it was a hot day, his mother opened her umbrella to shade him from the sun.

While others were in the sun, he was under the shade. It left a bad impression, and not long after that, his career spiraled downwards. Last, he was seen playing for the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League.

Besides, Shedeur Sanders has always strayed away from off-field controversies. Deion’s meddling in the Browns’ business could take away that credibility. Even Deshaun Watson had numerous women who filed civil lawsuits against him. In 2022, the NFL fined him $5 million and suspended him for 11 games.

Overall, the window seems to be closing for Shedeur Sanders. The only hope he can hold onto is to outperform Watson in the summer training camp. With still over a month left for the camp, it remains to be seen whether he climbs up the ranks or ends up being a depth player.