Although it shouldn’t come as a surprise after being handed some of Shedeur Sanders’ first-team reps over the weekend, Deshaun Watson being named the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback for the team’s preseason debut must have felt like a punch in the gut for the second-year passer. And while head coach Todd Monken insists on calling it an open competition “as long as we're still sharing reps,” that doesn’t necessarily imply that it’s an even one, nor that the scales haven’t been tipped to one side or the other.Sanders’ still in line to start the Browns’ second preseason game -- at home versus the Bills -- and his name is still being shown as co-starting quarterback next to Watson’s on the team’s first unofficial depth chart. Nonetheless, the feeling around the team is that the starting job has truly begun to slip away from the Colorado product.Here are seven things Shedeur Sanders needs to do in order to still come out as a winner of the Browns' starting quarterback battle:Keep things professionalSanders can’t lose focus now. He’s been doing everything that has been asked of him and more. He needs to stay the course. Maybe it means staying after practice more often, or seeking out coaches and bombarding them with questions, he needs to be relentless in that building. Make the most of your opportunitiesThis might sound a bit abstract, but Sanders needs to show more improvement. Maybe it’s speeding up his delivery, footwork or better ball placement. Wherever he was lacking in 2025, he needs to focus on during the final stretch of training camp, even if his rep count goes down. Separate as much as you can, where you canBall security is the one place where Sanders has a clear edge over Watson so far, although it might also be a byproduct of playing a little too conservatively. It doesn’t matter. If he starts throwing picks at the same rate as Watson, he won’t win this battle. If there are any other phases of the game where he’s clearly outplaying Watson, he needs to showcase them as well. Close the gap where you need toA few areas of the game that have been reported favorably for Watson over Sanders so far include command of the huddle, cadence, and processing time. Sanders needs to identify where he’s trailing Watson and step up his game. Honest conversations with trusted teammates could help him a lot in this regard. Be patientMuch of what’s keeping this competition alive has to do with Watson’s evident shortcomings. It’s hard to think the 30-year old passer will suddenly clean up his game from here on out. Stay out of Watson's way and maybe he'll take himself out of the competition.Force the team’s hand in your favorChances are Sanders has more support inside the locker room than Watson, just based on how the team ended last season. This is critical, because no matter what the staff want, or what the media say, the players in that building day in and day out will smell something fishy a mile away, if they feel that an inferior option is being imposed upon them.If the locker room is in Sanders' corner, that’s something coach Monken cannot simply ignore. He'll have no better allies in this battle than his teammates, as long as he exhibits the ability to elevate those around him.Use the fans to help turn the tideBrowns’ fans have already booed Watson at training camp, and that could be unsustainable if it spilled over beyond practices and into games, especially for a quarterback operating under a low level of confidence. Even if he’s not the long-term answer, many think Sanders is the best option on the roster right now. Fans don’t get to decide who starts for Cleveland, but Sanders can no doubt shift the energy coming from the stands.If Browns’ players and fans were being offered the 2019 version of Watson, they would choose him in the blink of an eye. That’s clearly not the case. The fact remains that the $230 million quarterback who cost Cleveland three first-rounders and then some, just can’t separate himself from a second-year fifth rounder. Otherwise, Watson would have been named the starter outright already. It’s not too late for Sanders, but he does face an uphill battle. Yet, there's still a path for him to regain the starting job.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow