Above all, new Browns coach Todd Monken wants to turn the team into a winner. The first four games of the season (against the Jaguars, Buccaneers, Panthers and Steelers) will make winning from the start a challenge, so the goal will be to build the best starting lineup to start the season. The biggest question mark applies to the quarterback position, where Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders continue to compete for the job. Ahead of the depth chart setup announcement, it’s only fair to look for clues. Monken may have provided one on Tuesday. Monken said that since the Bills and Browns will hold a joint practice this week, the mutual plan is to get the starters working in a more controlled environment and not play them during Saturday’s game. So, with Sanders scheduled to be the starter this weekend, does that mean he’s not a starter? If the competition truly hasn’t been resolved privately, wouldn’t Monken want to give Shedeur a full and fair chance to run the first-team offense? Wouldn’t that be the closest thing to an apples-to-apples comparison between Watson’s start in Week 1 and Sanders’ opportunity in Week 2? As Simms and I discussed on Tuesday’s PFT Live, the strongest clue will come from Saturday’s quarterback plan after Sanders. If Watson doesn’t play second and third players on the field, that points to the possibility that Monken has already decided that Watson will be the Week 1 starter. It also points to the possibility that Monken is delaying the announcement, because choosing Watson over Sanders won’t be the popular move. Sanders won’t like it. His multitude of online fans will hate him. His father, Deion, may have something to say about it, privately and/or publicly. And many Browns fans don’t want Watson to play at all; They want to discover what Shedeur can become. Still, if Monken believes Watson gives the Browns the best chance to steal a win or two against three playoff teams and a Tampa Bay team that will be determined to get off to a great start in its regular-season home opener against Cleveland, Watson will have a chance to prove himself through a pair of road games before the Browns open their home slate with a Sunday game against the Panthers and a Thursday game. Night showdown with the Steelers. Either way, pay attention to what happens on Saturday. How will Sanders perform without the incumbents? And will the plan to put Watson in the game after Sanders suddenly change?
