Fans and critics have been connecting the dots to find out who will win the quarterback competition in Cleveland. Deshaun Watson made a strong case for himself during the preseason opener, and reports indicate he might be it. But a local radio host says Shedeur Sanders could still very much be in the race.

“It is still a legitimate competition. It truly is. They each deserve they start that is fair truly and they’re gonna get as equal a distribution of reps as a coach can give in a joint practice, considering not all sessions one might be a red zone, one might be a set of runs. You can’t totally distribute evenly during a joint practice,” radio host Andrew Siciliano said on Baskin and Phelps on 92.3 The Fan.

Both Sanders and Watson have been competing for the Cleveland Browns starting job. Head coach Todd Monken made a clear plan for that competition: rotation. Every QB would get equal opportunities and reps to showcase their talents.

Similarly, as the head-to-head between the two QBs stretched into the preseason, Monken decided to give both of them a chance to start a preseason game each. This process will decide who starts their Preseason Game 3 against the New England Patriots to land the starting job.

In the first game against the Chicago Bears, Watson started and played the first half, completing 11 of 15 passes for 126 yards. Although the veteran QB lost a fumble, he showed promise with his quick passing game. Compared to Sanders, who had six of 11 passes for 79 yards and threw an interception.

As the Browns lost 34-10 to the Bears, the chatter around the league is that the veteran QB will take the spot. But Sanders, who starts Preseason Game 2 against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, is still in the mix. Siciliano believes there is still a chance Sanders could win this.

“Hypothetically, if Shedeur comes out on Saturday and throws three touchdowns. Don’t you think he made a pretty good case to win the job? Whether it’s against the Bills’ first team or the second team, and let’s say it’s against the second team, that on Thursday he looks pretty good when he gets his reps against their first team. To me, that’s a pretty convincing case to give him the job,” Siciliano added.

But the catch here is, Monken confirmed that Bills head coach Joe Brady and he have agreed that they will not play their first teams during the preseason matchup. Instead, the two teams will play them in a “controlled environment” during their joint practice on Thursday.

So even if Sanders starts the preseason game, he will not have the first teams on offense and will not face them either. But obviously, the joint practice against Buffalo’s first team will also matter.

If Sanders can show he can read defenses, make quick decisions, and deliver accurate throws against top competition, it will add weight to his case. Siciliano believes that if he performs well in either of them, he could get the job this season.