The Cleveland Browns are witnessing the temperature rise in the quarterback room. DeShaun Watson raised his chances to win the QB1 battle over Shedeur Sanders. Yet the latter continues to deal with negative scrutiny in his second NFL Training Camp.
Sanders called out the criticism in a sit down with ESPN’s Kevin Clark’s “This is Football” podcast. The record-breaking Colorado Buffaloes quarterback dove into how he handles navigating amid the negativity hovering above him.
“I’m understanding what really matters in this world and what really doesn’t,” Sanders began. “That’s what I crack down on.”
He acknowledged that there’s “nothing negative” about how he’s criticized. But he revealed what he really doesn’t like.
“I don’t really like when people have platforms and don’t use it for the right reasons,” Sanders said. “I don’t respect it. So, it’s like, things I don’t respect, I don’t give my time to.”
I asked Shedeur Sanders about his mindset change in year 2, which he said is focused on staying in the moment each day and ignoring the outside world.
“Understand what really matters in this world.”
Really enjoyed this sitdown. pic.twitter.com/AzQhWkKb9A
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) August 5, 2026
Sanders even adds how he doesn’t watch TV anymore, which helps allow him to focus on his Browns duties.
But now he’s dealing with a renewed Watson, who continues to show Cleveland that he can play in the league amid his string of injuries. ESPN and renown media personality Pat McAfee witnessed a dominant Watson Wednesday. Watson reportedly completed 17 of 20 passes during both 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills, tossing a combined seven touchdowns in the end. He never got picked off and mainly worked with the first team offense.
Head coach Todd Monken is in a tougher spot with trying to determine his Week 1 starter. But if it’s Sanders, he’ll lean into a QB aiming to block out the platforms that disparage him.
The Cleveland Browns are witnessing the temperature rise in the quarterback room. DeShaun Watson raised his chances to win the QB1 battle over Shedeur Sanders. Yet the latter continues to deal with negative scrutiny in his second NFL Training Camp. Sanders called out the criticism in a sit down with ESPN’s Kevin Clark’s “This is Football” podcast.
