Browns QB Battle Is the Only True One in the NFL, Says ESPN’s Field Yates

There’s a lot of talk about quarterback competitions around the league this summer. But according to ESPN’s Field Yates, most of them aren’t really competitions at all.

Speaking on “NFL Live,” Yates argued that the Cleveland Browns have the only legitimate open race for the starting job. His reasoning is simple: in most QB battles, if a young player slightly outplays a veteran in camp, the veteran still gets the nod. That’s not how it should work in Cleveland.

“Well, I lean towards Shedeur Sanders, because we’ve seen him play most recently,” Yates said. “What I would say, though, is this is the truest quarterback competition in the NFL. What I mean by that is whoever performs best in training camp should be the week one starter.”

Why Cleveland Is Different

Yates spelled out the distinction pretty clearly. In other camps, the tie goes to the veteran. You protect the rookie from being thrown into the fire. That logic doesn’t apply here.

“There are other quarterback competitions where, if you have a young quarterback and he narrowly outperforms the veteran quarterback in training camp, I still would lean on the veteran early in the season to alleviate some of the pressure on a young player,” Yates continued. “In Cleveland, whether it’s Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson, maybe even Dillon Gabriel, whichever one performed best in training camp should be on the field for that opening week.”

The Browns are in a weird spot. Watson hasn’t played since 2024 due to significant injuries. There’s still hope he can revive his career, but that hope is shaky at best. Sanders had a rocky rookie year, throwing for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 picks. It wasn’t a disaster, but it wasn’t exactly inspiring either.

Yates called this the truest quarterback competition in the NFL. And honestly, he might be right. Most teams with a so-called QB battle already know who they want to win. The Browns? They genuinely might not know until late August.

Whoever looks best in camp should be under center Week 1. That’s the standard Yates laid out. The Browns have to decide if they’re actually going to live by it.