Browns' Shedeur Sanders warned by Bitonio as Watson grip on QB1 looks shaky

A slow release, not a weak arm, is the flaw scouts and teammates keep circling back to on Shedeur Sanders, and it may decide whether the Cleveland Browns ever hand him the keys this season.

The quarterback climbed a clear rung between his first and second preseasons, yet the habit that hurt him as a rookie followed him into 2026: he waits a beat too long, then trusts a receiver to spring loose rather than firing on rhythm.

Retired guard Joel Bitonio, who protected Sanders as a rookie, put a number on the problem. "As a lineman, it sucks, but if you're taking over three seconds to throw in the league, like, I don't care if you have five Joe Thomases in front of you. It is tough to handle," he said on the Bearded Browns podcast.

Bitonio walked away in June after 12 years in Cleveland, collecting eight Pro Bowl trips and seven All-Pro honors, so his read carries weight.

The raw output backs the worry. Sanders threw for 1,400 yards, seven scores, and 10 picks last year while completing 56.6% of his attempts, and defenders dropped him 23 times across eight games and seven starts. Cleveland went 3-4 with him running the huddle.

Why Sanders' Timing Problem Outweighs His Playmaking Upside

The tape shows a passer who wins by improvising, and that is exactly the trait Todd Monken's staff wants to sand down. Off-script scrambling produces chunk gains, but it also invites the sacks and hits that stall drives and bruise a quarterback into the trainer's room.

Bitonio saw growth and still flagged the same soft spot. "I thought we saw in the preseason his development from last year. I thought he looked, to me, significantly better," he said. "But if you look at the little things, like time to throw and pocket awareness and just, the guys get open and he makes a big play when they're open but there's a little bit of just, like, anticipation and time to throw."

Monken framed the fix as decision speed. "He's being more decisive," he said in June. "It just feels like he's making quicker decisions. The ball's coming out of his hands, which he's gonna have to do."

His broader point was blunt: cutting the lost-yardage snaps matters more than the highlight throws. Around him, the depth chart is thinning. Rookie Taylen Green sits third on the 53, and Dillon Gabriel landed on injured reserve with a back issue that sidelines him at least four games.

Watson's medical file is the wild card. He has logged only 19 appearances since arriving in 2022 and sat out all of last season after two Achilles surgeries. If that body breaks again, the fifth-round pick from Colorado steps in, timing warts and all.

More NFL news:

• Shedeur Sanders predicted to lose Browns QB battle as Watson favored to start despite rookie's camp push
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• 49ers' cheapest bet in 2026 might be a zero-star recruit from Georgetown playing linebacker on $4.88 million
• Shedeur Sanders could thrive in Todd Monken's offense despite lacking Lamar Jackson's legs