Deshaun Watson has been named the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback for Week 1, sending Shedeur Sanders to the bench. While Watson remains the more experienced, proven option of the two, he did little in the preseason to prove he deserves the job, and the Browns have been criticized all week for the decision — especially after his controversial postgame comments last week. It's hard to feel good backing an already unpopular quarterback who just criticized an entire fanbase.
But the Browns appear willing to do so anyway. Now, the decision looks even more questionable after how Dillon Gabriel and sixth-round rookie Taylen Green just played. The Browns defeated the Patriots 37-13 in their preseason finale on Thursday, a game in which Gabriel and Green played in place of Sanders and Watson — and both looked great.
Gabriel went 12 of 15 for 186 yards and three touchdowns, while Green, in his first live NFL action, went 5 of 7 for 27 yards and led the team in rushing with 66 yards on eight carries. The issue: the Browns need to cut their roster to 53 players by Sunday, and they currently have four quarterbacks on it. Head coach Todd Monken said after Thursday's game that the unfortunate reality is that one of them will have to go.
"That's why we played them," Monken said. "We've got a lot to talk about. I thought they both did some really good things.
The way they played is how I thought they'd play. Dillon within himself, very poised, and then Taylen was going to have some splash plays, some plays where you get him on the perimeter, use his athleticism, and keep working to refine his passing. It was fun to watch him play.
But just like every position, we're going to have to cut it down. We can't keep everybody." More news: Sean McVay Denies Tutu Atwell Trade Was About Puka Nacua — But Was It? Green showed Thursday why he generated so much hype coming out of college.
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