The quarterback debate inside the Cleveland Browns building is nowhere near the end, but wide receiver Jerry Jeudy has found himself caught in the crossfire. In a recent TikTok Live clip making the rounds on the internet, someone asked who Jeudy wants his starting QB to be, and he held up four fingers in what appeared to be an answer to that question. 4 being the jersey number of Deshaun Watson, many thought that’s the QB Jeudy was choosing. Perhaps that wasn’t really the case, and Jeudy tried to set the record straight multiple times since then, but not everyone is buying it.

First, he reposted ESPN Cleveland’s original post and fired back, saying the clip was cut “perfectly for that narrative.” He even went on Instagram and called out the same post with “LIES.” Then, he went back on X and called out the narrative once again.

“I don’t speak on decisions that aren’t mine to make,” Jeudy wrote. “I support my teammates/Brothers, I do my job, and control what I can control. Let’s stop creating narrative that aren’t there for likes and clicks. I bet this won’t go viral because it’s too positive/real for y’all 💯.”

The original clip, and Jeudy’s comments thereafter, all landed on the Speakeasy podcast, where former Browns linebacker Emmanuel Acho first offered his respect for speaking up, but he wasn’t really sold on the explanation.

“Hey, Jerry Jeudy, I want to honor you saying, hey, ‘let’s stop this narrative, I support all my brothers.’ Let me start with that. Honor Jerry Jeudy saying that,” Acho said. “With that being said, Jerry Jeudy, stop gaslighting us. You are the one that went on live, and somebody asked you who you want to start, and you in every single angle, way, and form showed Deshaun Watson’s number. I mean, you done said it in every single way. And then you want to come out here and say that we are trying to splinter the team. You want to come out here and say that we’re trying to get in between anything. You’re the individual that made a choice.

“Also, stand in it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you saying I want the 8-year NFL veteran, the former Pro Bowler, to start. The hell? Why are we now so afraid of public backlash that you – I believe a Pro Bowl wide receiver, maybe even a Second-team All-Pro wide receiver – that you can’t say, ‘Yeah, I want the veteran to start, I don’t want the second-year quarterback to start.’ We have to rid ourselves of this fear of either Shedeur Sanders or Shedeur supporters that you’re afraid to say you want a veteran to start over a second-year quarterback. Bro, stand 10 toes in that. That’s not even something you need to walk back. You walking it back or making it a bigger deal.”

Now, this is the last year where the Browns can get anything out of the $230 million contract they gave Deshaun Watson back in 2022. While Shedeur Sanders has deeply impressed everyone with his improvement this offseason, head coach Todd Monken is yet to choose a starting quarterback for the season. Jeudy’s TikTok landed in the middle of this QB battle, and people naturally started connecting the dots.

Last November, in Week 13 against San Francisco, Jeudy was engaged in what appeared to be a heated exchange with Sanders. When asked about it later, both players had downplayed it. But while many believed there was a rift between them, just two weeks later, when Sanders threw three picks against Chicago, Jeudy was one of the loudest voices in support of Shedeur, saying, “One game don’t define who you are.”

Shedeur certainly needs to work on getting better on the field, and the second-year QB has even said he’s ready to show his “best form this year to the world.” The Browns might want to get more than just 19 starts from the investment they made on Watson, and Watson does have more playing experience. That’s the point Acho keeps coming back to.

“I want Deshaun to start. I hope you want Deshaun Watson to start; I genuinely hope you do,” Acho said. “Why would you want the second-year player that had seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions last year to start? No, I want Shedeur to get better. He’s going to be a dawg; he’s got a lot of promise, a lot of hope, a lot of positivity in his future. But right now, I think Deshaun gives us the best chance to win. But we’ll see. That’s what preseason’s about. I hated everything about it, especially the gaslighting, too far.”

Unless Jerry Jeudy explains what question he was really answering with his hand gesture on the TikTok, this debate is likely to keep going. As for the quarterback battle, regardless of anybody’s preferred quarterback, it remains as open as it did when the offseason began.