Quarterback Deshaun Watson drew noticeable boos from the Cleveland Browns on Saturday, during his team's 31-7 preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills, as he and teammate Shedeur Sanders continue their competition over the team's starting QB. Throughout the game, both players had time on the field, and both had different results. Sanders had a better game than Watson and then stepped up to support his teammate at the postgame press conference.
"In general, I do not appreciate that at all. Regardless of competition, we’re all human beings. … I don’t like making people feel uncomfortable in different spaces, and that’s why, even sometimes in daily things I do, I try to make sure everybody’s comfortable," Sanders said. "Just for the fans, we appreciate y'all showing up and everything.
However you feel about with Deshaun and the situation and everything, still I think it's more ... It's just a respect thing that I feel like should be there because we all out there trying to do our best and serve the franchise the best way possible," he told reporters about the fans' treatment of his teammate. More news: Deshaun Watson Sounds off on ‘Disrespectful’ Browns Fans Booing Him The booing may have stemmed from Watson not playing much for the Cleveland Browns despite signing a lucrative contract as their quarterback.
In March 2022, he initially signed a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract with the team, per ESPN. However, Watson has only played in 19 games since joining the Browns, and they haven't been stellar performances by any means. Sanders started for the team's last seven games of last season as Watson continued to recover from his Achilles surgery setback.
In Watson's latest outing, he completed 5 of 12 passes for just 36 yards and an interception. Watson also finished with a dismal 14.6 passer rating, while his teammate shined in comparison. While the competition isn't over, Sanders seemed to have won the starting job off Saturday's performance, completing 9 of 11 passes for a touchdown.
He had one interception, a sack, and an 87.1 passer rating for the game. Browns head coach Todd Monken said he plans to decide on the starting QB this week, as Cleveland wraps up its preseason schedule. The Browns host the New England Patriots in their final preseason matchup on Thursday night.
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