The Cleveland Browns seem to have taken a side in the QB1 battle between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders. Initially meant to alternate first-team reps, the veteran is not getting most of them.

On Saturday, Todd Monken told the press that Sanders would be getting first-team reps. But when practice began, the media saw that Watson took those reps instead of him. It was the second occurrence in three practices that Sanders had reps taken away from him, and Shannon Sharpe was not impressed.

“It’s one thing that coaches will do when they get in front of the camera, and they spew whatever they want to spew in public,” Shannon Sharpe said on Nightcap. “It’s always going to be different behind closed doors. Don’t lie to your player. You thought you said you were dealing with men. And men, you deal with them straight up. You say, ‘Look here, Shedeur, there’s been a change of plans.’

“… Just don’t lie to the man, because the man’s got expectations. I’m sure he told his dad, ‘Hey, Pops, you know it’s my day to run with the ones.’ He probably told him, ‘Son, you’ve been here. You prepared for this moment your whole life. Just go do what Shedeur does.’ I don’t know why, in situations like this, we just can’t be honest. Just be honest.”

Sanders had his time further cut because Dillon Gabriel also shared some reps with him. Monken didn’t talk to reporters afterward, and the Browns had Sunday off, so nobody’s gotten an explanation yet.

That timing matters. It is expected that Todd Monken will announce his preseason starter by August 10. He plans to split the first two preseason games between the two QBs, giving each a shot to make his case before the Bears game on August 15 and the Bills game on August 22. Whichever quarterback plays best gets the edge, since Monken has said he wants “one of these guys to make it clear to me.”

With Watson getting more time to make that case, Sanders might be effectively relegated to backup duties.

How both quarterbacks have been faring so far has been very interesting to see. Sanders hasn’t scored as many times as Watson, but he has been the more accurate quarterback. On Saturday, Sanders went 16-of-20 through the air. Watson finished 23-of-34. But the bigger number is interceptions: Watson has thrown 8 through just 10 days of camp, while Sanders has thrown only 4.

Both QBs had their own red flags to deal with. Watson will be entering this year after a year of no football, while Sanders was looking to redeem himself after a tough rookie season. The younger QB had more to lose. and was doing his due diligence so far.

“When it comes to throwing the football, you could easily argue that Sanders is ahead of Watson, and certainly Gabriel, in 10 training camp sessions,” Sports Illustrated’s Nick Pedone wrote.

Ever since the competition began, Shedeur Sanders has worked hard to close the gap between him and Watson. However, it now looks like the gap will widen, with the veteran clearly being given more priority.