The Cleveland Browns' quarterback situation continues to be a talking point, with Deshaun Watson's concussion the latest news to stir the pot .
There is, however, no controversy. For now, Watson remains the undisputed starter for Todd Monken's team, even if Shedeur Sanders ends up starting Cleveland's Week 9 game against the New Orleans Saints.
"Yeah, he's been our starter for eight games," Monken said of Watson on Wednesday . "I would assume he's still our starter. I'm really thinking about today and watching Shedeur [in practice]."
The Nov. 10 trade deadline is looming large, and the fact that Sanders recently hired an agent raised some eyebrows. Add Lamar Jackson's potentially season-ending injury to the mix, and it didn't take long before some people started connecting the dots.
However, unlike last season, one would want to believe there's just no way Andrew Berry will help a divisional rival by trading them a quarterback. I mean, there's recent precedent, but he can't do it in consecutive years?
Right?
Per multiple reports, the Ravens wanted to draft Sanders. His camp, however, asked them not to select him because he knew he would have no chance to start over Lamar Jackson.
The Ravens have a different coaching staff now, so Jesse Minter's regime might not feel the same way about Sanders. They still have general manager Eric DeCosta, though, and with a .500 record and their playoff hopes still alive, who's to say they won't try to do what the Cincinnati Bengals did last season and try to get Berry to trade them a quarterback?
Granted, things are different this time. The Browns still have four quarterbacks, and they should probably look to move one of them prior to the deadline. But they're not looking to offload any of their young QBs, and Joe Flacco was unplayable in Cleveland last season.
Sanders is on a cheap rookie contract and might still have some upside. The same goes for Dillon Gabriel and Taylen Green.
So, again, there's no way DeCosta will do it, right? Especially with the Ravens reportedly courting Jacoby Brissett.
Sanders has been a mature, team-first guy since he arrived in Cleveland. He's said and done all the right things , and he's gone the extra mile to avoid being a distraction. Even Deion Sanders, Shedeur's father, has tried to steer clear of controversy and stay in his own lane.
At this point, it feels like the only way the Browns would ever consider trading Sanders would be if he started making some unwanted noise. That wouldn't be smart of him or his camp, given all the negativity and his reputation before he entered the league.
Sanders could have easily been drafted by the Ravens last year. Had that happened, he may be starting for them right now, with Lamar Jackson on injured reserve with a thumb injury. With all the uncertainty surrounding Jackson's future, Sanders could've even been in line to be his potential successor.
Instead, Sanders lost a quarterback race to Deshaun Watson, and he might have to settle for trying to prove his worth as a backup. Hopefully, his expected start against the New Orleans Saints this week will be impressive enough to at least grant him more opportunities before the end of the season.
Just don't trade him to an AFC North team, Andrew Berry.
This article was originally published on www.dawgpounddaily.com as Ravens missed their Shedeur Sanders chance (and Browns can't give them another) .
