Cleveland Browns: Deshaun Watson Making His Case to Win Starting Job
How the Browns' starting quarterback competition unfolds is going to be interesting.
Deshaun Watson has reportedly emerged from voluntary minicamp as the frontrunner to win the starting job over Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.
Watson has faced numerous setbacks since signing a reported $230 million fully guaranteed contract with Cleveland in 2022. He served an 11-game suspension in 2022 for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy, and he hasn't played since October of 2024, when he ruptured his right Achilles tendon.
Even when healthy in Cleveland, the 30-year-old Watson struggled to regain the form he showed with the Houston Texans when he was a three-time Pro Bowler (2018-2020). However, Watson threw the ball crisply according to minicamp reports and has more experience than Sanders, who took over as Cleveland's starter late last season as a rookie.
"Sanders has plenty of ground to make up, and he will have to dazzle the coaching staff to land atop the depth chart heading into training camp," Cabot wrote.
Head Coach Todd Monken said he would like to name a starter before the Browns begin training camp in late July.
"I would love to have that," Monken said via 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland. "I'm not there yet. We've been on the field three practices. Now we're back off for three weeks.
"I don't have a history with our players, other than Tylan Wallace. What I've seen after three days, that gives a little bit of a 40,000-foot view of where we're at. But there's only so many reps you get. You've got to target toward who you're going to start opening day."
Pittsburgh Steelers: Offensive Tackle Broderick Jones Faces Pivotal Year
The Steelers have reportedly declined to pick up the fifth-year option for starting left tackle Broderick Jones. He suffered a season-ending neck injury in Week 12 last season that required surgery, and it's unclear if he will be ready to play by training camp.
Pittsburgh selected offensive tackle Max Iheanachor with the 21st overall pick, then drafted Iowa guard Gennings Dunker in the third round. General Manager Omar Khan said Jones' uncertain status factored into those decisions.
"Sure, that's a little bit of a concern," Khan said via Brooke Pryor of ESPN. "We've got guys on the offensive line that can play different positions. We have options."
Cincinnati Bengals: Defensive Makeover Is Causing Optimism in Cincinnati
Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin thinks the Bengals have gone a long way toward fixing their defense with their offseason moves.
They made a huge trade before the draft, acquiring Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence from the New York Giants in exchange for the 10th-overall pick.
In the second round (41st overall), Cincinnati took pass rusher and reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year Cashius Howell, followed by cornerback Tacario Davis in the third round. They will join Cincinnati's top three additions in free agency – edge rusher Boye Mafe, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, and safety Bryan Cook.
After missing the playoffs the past three seasons, Tobin believes Cincinnati now has a defense that can support its high-powered offense, led by quarterback Joe Burrow. Tobin saw the Seattle Seahawks go from missing the playoffs in 2024 to winning the Super Bowl last season. He thinks Cincinnati's defense will be a major problem for quarterbacks, similar to Seattle's unit.
"If you look at what Seattle did this year and what a lot of championship teams have done, they've had those waves of guys, and we feel like we're establishing that," Tobin said via Geoff Hobson of the Bengals’ website.
"With Boye and Cook, they're young guys just hitting the stride of their career. I don't even think they've hit their ceiling yet, and they've had a lot of success, and they've got championship rings, and they understand what it looks like. They fit physically what we want them to be, and we were very happy that they were interested in us and we could make it work out."
