Browns' Shedeur Sanders warned by Bitonio as Watson grip on QB1 looks shaky originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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.
#bitonio #sporting #watson #preferred
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.
#bitonio #sporting #watson #preferred
11 hours ago
