{
  "id": 1497151,
  "title": "‘It’s not close’: Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders frontrunner emerges",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/its-not-close-deshaun-watson-shedeur-sanders-frontrunner-emerges",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-17T14:22:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/not-close-deshaun-watson-shedeur-142206056.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Cleveland Browns' quarterback competition remains fierce, according to ESPN's Dan Orlovsky. The team's veteran QB, Deshaun Watson, and second-year player Shedeur Sanders have been squaring off during preseason games. Watson started the opening preseason match-up, while Sanders will take the field in the team's second exhibition game. Orlovsky declared Watson the clear frontrunner, citing his superior performance in terms of passing accuracy, speed, decision-making, and ball placement. Even though there were some rough patches in Watson's play, orlovsky believes he was definitively better than Sanders. Sanders will still get his opportunity, but Monken is making sure to give both players a fair chance to prove their worth before settling on a starter for the upcoming season.",
  "summary": "There aren’t many quarterback competitions around the NFL this summer, but the Cleveland Browns have one of them. Veteran Deshaun Watson and second-year pro Shedeur Sanders have been battling it out for the right to start the year as QB1. Watson started the Browns’ preseason opener over the weekend, and first-year head coach Todd Monken…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Deshaun Watson will start the Browns' preseason opener",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/deshaun-watson-will-start-the-browns-preseason-opener",
        "published": "2026-08-12T22:08:23.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Japan Times",
        "title": "Deshaun Watson to start at QB in Browns preseason opener",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/13/deshaun-watson-to-start-at-qb-in-browns-preseason-opener",
        "published": "2026-08-13T02:52:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Newsweek",
        "title": "Deshaun Watson Turns Up the Heat on Shedeur Sanders in Browns' QB Battle",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/15/deshaun-watson-turns-up-the-heat-on-shedeur-sanders-in-browns-qb",
        "published": "2026-08-15T21:16:17.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}