The Cleveland Browns’ quarterback competition between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson has been one of the biggest storylines of the offseason. The latter overcame a pair of Achilles tears to make his way back to this point, where he has a chance to be the starter, and now everything is in front of him.

Watson had a solid showing during Cleveland’s first preseason game of 2026, but it was Sanders who made the headlines this Saturday against the Buffalo Bills. He finished the day 9-of-11 with 74 yards, a touchdown and an interception, although the turnover was partially caused by a tipped pass.

Sanders was a perfect 8-for-8 and looked comfortable in the pocket before the interception. His performance was so promising that Browns general manager Andrew Berry praised it during his time in the broadcast booth during the third quarter of the game.

Shedeur Sanders receives praise from Browns GM after impressive performance vs. Bills

“Really pleased with Shedeur… I think the piece in his game where he’s grown the most that maybe goes a little bit understated, is his use of operation and cadence as a weapon,” said Berry.

This is a strong vote of confidence for Sanders after a tumultuous rookie season and an up-and-down performance in Week 1 of the preseason. It sounds like the front office is happy with where he’s at in his development and believes he’s improved a lot.

Browns head coach Todd Monken is expected to name a starting quarterback in the coming days, so the saga between Sanders and Watson could be coming to an end soon. The two quarterbacks have given Monken and Berry some good tape to make a decision from, but the general manager sounds especially happy with Sanders.

Paul White

Paul White is a contract writer from Philadelphia who attended Penn State University. He has contributed hundreds of stories about the NFL and NBA over the years and now brings that experience over to Yardbarker. He is a lifelong Philadelphia sports fan looking to bring the same passion from his city to sports media.