CHICAGO — If Deshaun Watson was ahead in the latest edition of the Cleveland Browns’ perpetual quarterback derby before Saturday’s preseason opener, then he’s probably still in the lead.

But Browns coach Todd Monken says the competition between Watson and Shedeur Sanders will continue, at least for another week. And it’s hard to imagine much changed Saturday in what was a predictably uneven first performance in a game setting for both quarterbacks.

The remade Browns offense had two scoring drives with Watson at the helm. After Sanders made two impressive throws to open the third quarter, the Browns failed on a fourth-down run inside the Chicago Bears’ 10-yard line.

Cleveland didn’t score after those two Watson-led drives, and the Bears ended up running away with a 34-10 victory. But nobody’s going to remember the score, and Monken’s postgame comments focused on the next steps for the Browns as a whole and for Watson’s ongoing comeback attempt.

“It was awesome,” Monken said about Watson. “It was so cool to watch him play. I get all of the frustration by fans, himself (with the past), but for him to come back and work like he did is an unbelievable credit to him. He was having fun today, and I thought he really functioned at a high level.”

Watson played in a game for the first time since October 2024, when he suffered a torn right Achilles tendon against the Cincinnati Bengals. He tore the same tendon again about 10 weeks later and did not play last season while rehabbing. Though the practice reps have been split and the order alternated on every practice day but one since the spring, Watson has been first in every practice-drill line and was first up during spring work and training camp.

“I felt good, felt excited just to be back on the field,” Watson said. “It was good to just go through pregame, get warmed up, take the field for the first time in I don’t even know how long it has been.”

Monken stuck to his stated plan and played Watson in the first half. In announcing Watson as Saturday’s starter, Monken said Sanders would start and play the first half in next week’s preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. Both will work with the No. 1 offense in Thursday’s joint practice session with Buffalo.

That joint practice is the fourth session on the Browns’ calendar this week, and decision time looms with Monken saying he always targeted the second preseason game as the best point to pick a winner. The Browns close the preseason Aug. 27 versus the New England Patriots and open the regular season Sept. 13 in Jacksonville, Fla.

On Saturday, Watson was 11-of-15 passing for 126 yards, almost exclusively on short throws. An end-around run by rookie wide receiver KC Concepcion on the first play of the second quarter capped a 10-play, 81-yard scoring drive in which more than half the yards came on a 43-yard screen pass to Dylan Sampson.

Watson’s most impressive work was probably converting a first-and-25 with three straight completions after a penalty on what became a field goal drive midway through the first quarter.

The Bears played five of their defensive starters, three on the defensive line. The Browns started their offensive regulars but removed four of their five starting offensive linemen after the second series, and Watson seemed hesitant against some of Chicago’s pressure after the first two drives. On a fourth-down play late in the first half, Bears defensive end Jamree Kromah beat rookie tackle Austin Barber and knocked the ball out of Watson’s hand.

Monken wanted Watson to get a two-minute drill situation, and the Browns got the ball with 1:52 left in the first half. But that series went nowhere thanks to more pressure and a drop, so there wasn’t much to evaluate. On Watson’s last 12 plays, the Browns totaled 24 yards.

“Certainly there were things from an operational standpoint (Watson) can do better,” Monken said. “But it was fun watching him play.”

Sanders got three series. He had the day’s most visually impressive throws, two to Gage Larvadain and a 35-yarder over the middle to Luke Floriea with three Chicago pass rushers closing quickly on the second-year quarterback. But Sanders’ last pass was thrown well over the head of intended target Malachi Corley and was intercepted by Beanie Bishop Jr. early in the fourth quarter.

“Right read, but the ball just slipped,” Sanders said.

Monken said he believed both Sanders’ interception and one thrown by third-stringer Dillon Gabriel later in the fourth quarter were not the result of bad decision-making and that he looked forward to watching the film as part of the evaluation of the entire offense.

“I was really pleased with our quarterback play,” Monken said. “It’s not going to feel like that (when) you turn it over three times, that’s never ideal. But to me, it felt like we are going to be able to throw the football.”

Concepcion and fellow rookie wideout Denzel Boston bring much-needed juice to what was one of the league’s worst receiver groups last season. Boston had one catch on two targets from Watson, while Concepcion had three catches plus the touchdown run.

Sanders finished 6-of-11 for 79 yards. Sanders completed three of his first four passes and cited a third-down checkdown in the red zone to Ahmani Marshall as his best throw of the day because it showed growth — from himself and the offense. Watson said he felt good about limiting negative plays and stringing together completions, but both quarterbacks followed their coach’s lead by not really talking about the state of the competition.

Probably, there’s only one week left. And Monken won’t be as enthusiastic about things next week if he doesn’t see growth in these upcoming practice sessions.

“Every opportunity I get, I’m just trying to go one step forward,” Watson said. “Just trying to improve every day.”

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — As the Buffalo Bills drew back the curtain to show what they’ve been working on over the last few months in Saturday’s 29-14 preseason win against the Carolina Panthers, the new defensive scheme under coordinator Jim Leonhard caught much of the attention.

The Bills — sporting their new-look, attack-style 3-4 defense — attempted to stay as vanilla as possible while executing their core defensive philosophies. Regardless, seeing it in practice helped show what the Bills may do at the macro and micro levels once the regular season begins.

What stood out most was how they varied their spacing along the defensive line. The scheme freed up first-team interior defensive linemen like Deone Walker and Ed Oliver for multiple one-on-ones, giving them several quality reps in the three drives they played. Coupled with well-timed pressure from unpredictable places, it led to some bright moments from the defense.

In total, the first-team defense allowed only 16 yards on three drives at 1.77 yards per play and dropped Carolina for negative gains three times and no gain twice.

On a more granular level, how they used some of their players was equally interesting, specifically across their defensive front. While we’ve seen plenty of mixing and matching during camp with the first unit, it was abundantly clear Oliver and Walker will be massive parts of their plan. The Bills were in nickel for 70 percent of their plays through the three series, meaning only two defensive linemen were on the field. In both nickel and base defense, Walker and Oliver were on the field for every first-unit snap.

In addition, Greg Rousseau and Bradley Chubb were the only edge-rushing outside linebackers on the field for the Bills’ first-team defense. Rousseau rushed against the right tackle all but once, which may be a sign that they’re committing to having him on his most natural pass-rushing side this season.

The first-team defense’s three straight three-and-outs could have contributed to no one else getting time on the defensive line or at outside linebacker. However, even on longer drives with the second and third units, the Bills generally veered toward keeping a pass-rushing pair in the game for six-plus snaps at a time. That could mean we see a rotation that isn’t quite as flat as it was with the previous defense.

No matter what, this brand-new defense couldn’t have asked for a better debut, though several questions still need to be answered.

Moore looks part as Bills think they survived injury scare

For the first time since the Bills acquired wide receiver DJ Moore to be Josh Allen’s top target, fans at large were able to see their potential.

What the duo manufactured Saturday against the Panthers is a continuation of everything we’ve seen in training camp so far. Moore ran six routes on non-penalty plays that he was in the game for, and Allen targeted him on 67 percent of those routes, resulting in three catches for 61 yards. That figure is certainly unsustainable, but it’s clear Allen often looks for Moore. Allen hasn’t had that type of receiver since Stefon Diggs left Buffalo, and Moore’s speed and run-after-catch ability are likely to be big assets. He also unsurprisingly led Bills receivers in snaps with Allen, registering 12 out of 16 (including penalties).

The Bills appeared to avoid a potential disaster with Moore after he suffered an apparent leg injury on his final snap and reception.

The team sat him over by the bench area as athletic trainers and a team doctor examined his lower leg, then left him alone shortly after. He moved around well on the sidelines during the second half, and Bills head coach Joe Brady told reporters that they think Moore is likely good to go.

The Bills now must determine how much more work they want Moore to get this preseason, as they weigh the potential for injury against additional in-game reps with Allen.

McGovern looking at multi-week absence

Starting center Connor McGovern hasn’t been near the practice field since he left the Bills’ Return of the Blue & Red practice inside Highmark Stadium last week.

Now, we know McGovern is facing a multi-week injury. The Bills center told The Athletic and one other reporter that he’s feeling good, but that he “should be a few more weeks.”

McGovern said the goal is to be ready for the start of the regular season. In the meantime, veteran Lloyd Cushenberry III took every first-team snap against Carolina.

Sanders mysteriously inactive in first half

Throughout camp, 2025 second-round pick T.J. Sanders has consistently worked in with the first-team defense and, during open practices, has often been the running mate to fellow defensive linemen Walker and Oliver in the Bills’ base defense.

However, on Saturday, Sanders was stunningly left off the first-team defense and didn’t play a single defensive snap in the first half.

When the Bills’ first unit was in base defense for three snaps, 2025 third-round pick Landon Jackson got the work with Walker and Oliver while Sanders watched from the sidelines without his helmet on. Jackson has come on strong the last couple of weeks since the pads went on, showing his length and added offseason strength, and it’s led to more on-field practice opportunities.

Suddenly, this is looking like a competition for the starting job between the Bills’ pair of 2025 Day Two picks.

Hancock quickly becoming staff favorite

It took a little while for second-year defensive back Jordan Hancock to find his footing in this new defense, but he has been on a roll over the last two weeks of practice, and it extended into Saturday’s game.

Hancock, who flashed high-level plays last year as a safety, has primarily played as a nickel corner in Leonhard’s new scheme. Those splash plays are becoming more frequent, whether in coverage, run support, or as a blitzer. The Bills gave Hancock the added responsibility Saturday of playing one full defensive series at safety, on top of the two series he spent at nickel.

The way Hancock has ascended, you have to wonder if he’s in the mix as not only a backup nickel, but potentially as a dime (six defensive backs) defender. It’s been a very strong August for Hancock.

Elarms-Orr’s interesting usage

The Bills are very high on fourth-round rookie Kaleb Elarms-Orr, to the point that the inside linebacker is pushing for a role early in the regular season.

The team’s actions Saturday matched that sense, as Elarms-Orr subbed in for Dorian Williams on the first-team defense on the Bills’ second defensive series. Elarms-Orr has been sprinkled into first-team time throughout open practices. He also played the entire third quarter with the second- and third-string defenders and even played longer than second-string inside linebacker Keonta Jenkins.

Sometimes, playing deep into preseason games is a bad omen, but in this case, with Elarms-Orr’s snaps spread all over, they likely wanted to give him experience above all else.

Bell nearing a return?

Head coach Joe Brady gave a favorable update on fourth-round rookie wide receiver Skyler Bell, who has missed the last week of practice due to an undisclosed injury. Brady said Bell has been dealing with a lower-body injury, and that if this were the regular season, the receiver probably could have played against the Panthers.

The Bills hope Bell returns at some point this week, either in Orchard Park, in Cleveland for Thursday’s joint practice, or Saturday’s preseason game against the Browns.

ATLANTA — AJ Smith-Shawver is lined up to start Sunday for the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers, but he isn’t listed as the probable pitcher. There’s a chance the next time he toes the rubber, it’ll be at the major-league level.

“He’s going to be someone here in the near future that’s going to help us,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said Wednesday after Smith-Shawver threw 95 pitches the day before.

On July 29, Smith-Shawver made his first MLB start since he had Tommy John surgery last year. As the extra player added to Atlanta’s roster for its doubleheader against the New York Mets in late July, Smith-Shawver, 23, went 4 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out four batters. He threw 69 pitches, and his fastball averaged 97 mph.

He was optioned to Triple A after the game and has made two starts for Gwinnett, where he’s totaled 11 innings with 13 strikeouts.

The Braves see Smith-Shawver as a contributor on their roster for the remainder of the season and beyond, but there is a bit of a crunch. He’s mainly pitched as a starter in the majors, but with the Braves’ starting rotation sporting a 2.68 ERA since the All-Star break — the best in baseball — it’ll be tough for him to slide in.

The bullpen appears to be a more feasible option, and given he spent so much time sidelined, it would help him regain the feeling of facing major-league hitting. Still, if he is brought up this week, barring an injury, someone will need to go down.

If the Braves go in that direction, Victor Mederos seems like a reasonable option to be demoted to Triple A since he has options left.

That’s just one piece of the puzzle for the Braves’ pitching staff. Reynaldo López, who is eligible to return from the injured list, threw a bullpen session Tuesday and said his command and physical shape felt good. Manager Walt Weiss and López said they felt his stint on the IL, prompted by left knee inflammation, would be short. When he returns, another roster move will need to be made.

“Those are things we have to think about,” Weiss said. “But he’s at the point where he’s in play now, and obviously a talented arm. So I’m looking for ways to make that work.”