S.I.’s Albert Breer Talks Browns, Steelers, Raiders, Rams, Tua & More w/ Rich

"These things can never happen clean in Cleveland," Albert Breer said, which is one way to open a conversation about a quarterback decision that had already been made.

The Sports Illustrated reporter gave Rich the least dramatic reason first. Deshaun Watson was more consistent across the full body of camp, and while nobody expected the wheels to come off the way they did Saturday, Breer thinks deciding off one afternoon would be shortsighted.

The revealing tell was schematic. Todd Monken gives his quarterback real control at the line of scrimmage, and people in the building told Breer it reminds Watson of what he had with Bill O'Brien in Houston. Setting protections, adjusting pre-snap, all of it. That comfort pushed toward the veteran.

Then there is the investment. Three first-round picks and $230 million buys one more look to be certain there is nothing left you have not found. And underneath it, Breer says, this is really about 2027, because Cleveland holds two first-rounders next spring and needs the position fully vetted.

The pivot to Shedeur Sanders stays easy if Watson fails. But it comes with a condition.

"I don't think that there's a path back to Deshaun Watson if you start Shedeur Sanders," Breer said. Go to Sanders and you almost have to cut Watson, because you are not throwing him back into that cauldron, and his teammates have to play those home games too.

He made the cap case for doing it now. Cutting Watson accelerates roughly $81 million into next season, versus splitting it and pushing about $51 million to 2028. With a roster full of good second-year players, promising rookies and another big class coming, Breer would take the hit at once.

On Pittsburgh, where Mike McCarthy has called the Joey Porter Jr. standoff an impasse, Breer framed it as compounding math. What are the odds you sign him long term, and would you tag him after the year? If both trend no, ask what kind of season you get from a man playing out a contract. You might get his best year. You might get someone protecting himself.

The market is the complication. Devon Witherspoon signed for a fortune in Seattle, and if Christian Gonzalez were content to match it, Breer guesses that deal would be done, the way Bijan Robinson's contract produced Jahmyr Gibbs in Detroit inside 48 hours. Gonzalez may reset things again, which only makes Porter harder to sign.

The biggest outstanding deal is Baker Mayfield, and Breer expects Tampa to swing once more before Week 1, possibly right after cutdowns. Deals get done on the doorstep of the season, and TJ Watt did it twice. Breer read Mayfield's July line in the sand as a man who knew his franchise finishes these things during camp and wanted his done first. Tristan Wirfs, Luke Goedeke and Zyon McCollum all got done.

In Atlanta, the clock is the story. Michael Penix Jr. is cleared for 11-on-11, and Kevin Stefanski would not rule out Week 1.

Breer was blunt about why the door is open. People who worked joint practices against the Falcons told him things did not look right with Tua Tagovailoa in there, and people who coached against them in games said the same. The play has not matched the expectation. Penix did everything he could, and the holdup was purely medical, because a doctor clears you when a doctor clears you.

The larger point is next spring. Atlanta comes out of year three on Penix facing a fifth-year option decision and a 2027 draft class that may be loaded at the position. They need a real look at him this season.

On the Raiders, Breer tied Fernando Mendoza's timeline directly to Ashton Jeanty, who he heard felt great after Sunday's scare. Mendoza's own readiness is half of it, and by all accounts his progress has been excellent with a coaching family that is regimented about footwork, eyes and detail.

The other half is the supporting cast. Nobody wants a rookie out there with a hole on the line and a receiver who cannot play, watching the offense come apart and his confidence with it. Breer reached for Todd Gurley and Jared Goff, and Zeke Elliott and Dak Prescott. A good back keeps you on schedule and gives the quarterback an outlet. With Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer at tight end but thin receiver and questions up front, Jeanty's availability shapes when Mendoza plays.

Which left Aaron Donald, and the answer Rich has been chasing since July 31st.

"He's seeking clarity on it," Breer said, "and they're going to give him as much time as he needs to find it."

Money is part of it. Breer said the question of how you pay him and fit it into the cash and cap budget keeps coming up, though not from Rams or Donald people, and he does not think Donald intends to play for free.

The bigger piece is Donald needing to believe he can go out and be Aaron Donald, which is a higher bar than playing well. The plan already exists. He and Sean McVay are close, Breer expects 30 to 40 snaps a game, and with Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Poona Ford and Tyler Davis behind him, nobody needs 60. He has been working out at the facility with Giff Smith, and the moment he puts a helmet on, the team has to report it.

Rich admitted the honest fan reaction, which is the assumption that at 35 he cannot be that guy anymore. Breer, who called Eric Weddle the first person he phoned when this surfaced in June, pointed at the human part nobody sees. Weddle still feels the pec he tore. He still feels the hamstring.

Everyone is ready to hit go. Donald has not pushed the button.