Browns QB tracker: Latest news, stats as Shedeur Sanders battles Deshaun Watson

When asked about the uncertain status of his team’s quarterback situation, and a potential timeline for a decision during training camp, Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry dropped the quote of the offseason.

“I think it’s important to have the starting quarterback named before Week 1,” Berry deadpanned. 

Well, at least that’s one thing everyone can agree on. 

With training camp now underway, Berry, head coach Todd Monken, and the Browns will have no choice but to make the quarterback decision that’s best for the team. Cleveland has four total on its roster, but this quickly became a two-man race between veteran Deshaun Watson and second-year pro Shedeur Sanders during the spring program.

Monken only solidified that during Cleveland’s first week of training camp. Through those four practices, Watson and Sanders alternated days running the first-team offense, with the other leading the second unit. 

There’s a case to be made for both players to win the job. Sanders is the option who best fits the team’s timeline, as a fifth-round draft pick who’s still in the early years of a bargain rookie contract. He also started seven games during the 2025 season, enough to help him get his bearings entering his second pro training camp.

Watson is the veteran owner Jimmy Haslam and the Browns bet the franchise’s future on back in 2022, when they traded three first-round picks, among other draft compensation, to the Houston Texans for the then three-time Pro Bowler. But Watson’s tenure in Berea has been a disaster, as injuries and a lengthy suspension have limited him to just 19 starts in four seasons. 

Cleveland would have loved to cut its losses and move on from the Watson era a while ago. The salary cap penalties tied to his fully guaranteed contract have kept him tethered to the Browns’ roster, though, and that will continue in 2026. If Watson sits behind Sanders this season, he would be an unprecedented backup making top-10 QB money at $46 million.

As Berry so eloquently put it: The Browns will definitely have their Week 1 starter picked prior to their season opener at Jacksonville on Sept. 13. Until then, let this be your one-stop shop for updates on Watson, Sanders, and everything else pertaining to one of the NFL’s most fascinating training camp storylines.

Dawg Pound Daily Browns QB tracker

1. Browns quarterback competition stats, updates, and analysis
2. Cumulative practice stats
3. Preseason game stats
4. What Todd Monken is saying
5. What Deshaun Watson is saying 
6. What Shedeur Sanders is saying
7. Browns training camp schedule

Last updated: Thursday, Aug. 20

Browns quarterback competition stats, updates, and analysis

Thursday, Aug. 20

Practice No. 17 stats

Practice No. 17 updates and analysis

• As expected, Sanders and Watson split first-team reps during Cleveland's anticipated joint practice with the Buffalo Bills in Berea. Both quarterbacks reportedly had their moments, including Watson finding speedy wideout KC Concepcion deep downfield, splitting a pair of defenders.

• Per ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi, Watson struggled during a red zone period that included his 12th interception of training camp. While Watson appears to be Monken's preferred quarterback entering Game 2 of the preseason, Watson's inability to protect the football has been a major red flag throughout camp. He lost a fumble during Cleveland's preseason loss to the Bears on Aug. 15.

• Sanders got arguably the day's most meaningful reps, a two-minute drill with the starters against Buffalo's first-team defense. He reportedly drove the Browns the length of the field, but they came up empty when a final pass into the end zone intended for Denzel Boston was broken up, per Oyefusi.

Wednesday, Aug. 19

Practice No. 16 stats

Tuesday, Aug. 18

Practice No. 15 stats

Practice No. 15 updates and analysis

• Watson handled first-team reps in what was the Browns' lone fully-padded practice of the week ahead of their joint practice with the Bills on Aug. 20. Per ESPN Cleveland's rep tracker, this was notably Sanders' lightest throwing day of camp. He attempted only 13 passes while working with the second unit.

• Sanders is scheduled to be back with the starters on Wednesday, Aug. 19, but that will be another undpadded practice as the team prepares for a heavy workout with the Bills the following day.

Monday, Aug. 17

Practice No. 14 stats

Practice No. 14 updates and analysis

• Monken told reporters prior to practice that Sanders will start preseason Game 2 against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, Aug. 22. However, he also said that he met with Bills coach Joe Brady and they agreed to rest starters in the game if they feel like they got enough out of Thursday's joint practice in Berea.

• This was a light practice with Sanders working with the first unit. The team worked on some read option concepts early and ended with both quarterbacks leading a two-minute drive down three on the scoreboard. Both QBs failed to get into field goal range and the practice ended, per ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi.

Saturday, Aug. 15

Preseason Game 1 stats

Preseason Game 1 analysis

• As expected, Watson got the start in the Browns' preseason opener. While his box score stats tell one story, Watson failed to pass the eye test, at least when compared to how he looked when he last played real football in October of 2024. Watson seemed unsure of himself in the pocket and was moving like you'd expect for a 30-year-old quarterback coming off a twice-torn Achilles tendon. If he's really the Browns' best option when the games start counting for real in September, the Browns will be in trouble.

• Browns fans got the full Shedeur Sanders experience against the Bears. His first pass was an explosive completion down the sideline to Gage Larvadain. His next snap was aborted due to failed exchange under center. Two plays later, on third-and-13, the Bears sent all-out pressure and Sanders calmly took an extra step deep into his drop and delivered a strike to Luke Floriea for a 35-yard gain. His day included two batted passes at the line and a badly thrown interception that he said slipped out of his hand afterward. As usual, the flashes were there for Sanders, but the consistency was not playing with the Browns' backups.

Wednesday, Aug. 12

Practice No. 13 stats

Practice No. 13 updates and analysis

• Monken finally made his decision on who will start in Saturday's preseason opener against the Chicago Bears on Aug. 15. It will be Watson to start the game with Sanders expected to get some work with the reserves coming out of halftime. Unless something changes, the two QBs will flip the rotation for preseason Game 2, with Sanders starting against the Bills and Watson opening the second half.

• Sanders led the first unit on this day for the second time this week. Watson was with the second group. This was a lighter practice in shells with the team gearing up for preseason action.

• Center Elgton Jenkins was Cleveland's lone starting offensive lineman to miss this practice, making him highly unlikely to play in Saturday's opener. With rookie Parker Brailsford still nursing an apparant injury to his right wrist, Luke Wypler continued to work with the starters and appears poised to start against the Bears this weekend.

Tuesday, Aug. 11

Practice No. 12 stats

Practice No. 12 updates and analysis

• Watson returned to the starting unit and continued to pick up where he left off over the weekend. While he threw his ninth interception of camp on a throw into double coverage intended for Blake Whiteheart, he was solid overall as the offense used a lot of motion to try and confuse the defense in 11-on-11 periods. "It’s real easy to tell out here when he’s feeling confident," ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi wrote,.

• Monken continues to reiterate that this remains a competition, but Watson now has a clear leg-up in terms of overall reps, thanks to taking every rep in the two-hour practice on Aug. 8, and per Zac Jackson of The Athletic, he's been the better player in "move the ball" situations, which is an area Monken has harped on. "Not in drills. Not in total quality throws or the sharing that goes with alternating stuff. Watson has had more productive move-the-ball sessions than Sanders has to this point," Jackson wrote.

Monday, Aug. 10

Practice No. 11 stats

Practice No. 11 updates and analysis

• Sanders was back with the first-team offense, but it was a mixed bag. He hit a nice scramble-drill play down the sideline to Dylan Sampson, and also connected with tight end Harold Fannin in the red zone for a touchdown. Penalties were an issue, however. The entering first unit was kicked off the field by Monken toward the end of practice after commiting three pre-snap penalties.

• While we await Monken's decision on the Week 1 starter, it appears the Browns have settled on their starting left tackle. Fresh off a fiery battle with Jared Verse on Saturday, Monken declared that he had solidified his role as Cleveland's blindside protector.

• Prior to practice, Monken confirmed that either Shedeur Sanders or Deshaun Watson will start the preseason opener on Saturday, Aug. 15, and the other will start preseason Game 2 against Buffalo.

Saturday, Aug. 8

Practice No. 10 stats

Practice No. 10 updates and analysis

• This was supposed to be Sanders' day with the first-team offense, as the quarterbacks had been rotating through the first nine practices. The rep distribution in this one marked a clear pattern shift. Watson dominated first-team reps in competitive 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 periods, with Sanders splitting second-team reps with Dillon Gabriel. Watson was also sharp, stacking another solid practice with four touchdowns and no interceptions.

• Prior to practice, Monken told reporters that Sanders would get the majority of the first-team reps as it was his turn in the alternating order. What changed in the 15 minutes after he left the podium is unclear, but the Browns appeared to be grooming Watson to start the first preseason game, which is Saturday, Aug. 15.

Friday, Aug. 7

Practice No. 9 stats

Practice No. 9 updates and analysis

• As always with unofficial training camp stats, context matters. While Watson got his turn with the first-team offense in this practice, there was a clear emphasis on taking shots deep down the field. Both Sanders and Watson hit some big throws, but both finished with poor completion percentages and interceptions because of it.

• This practice was moved indoors due to inclement weather, canceling one of the team's four remaining sessions that were open to the public. It was also held in helmets only (no pads), which has notably been the norm for the bulk of Watson's first-team reps this summer. Monken told reporters that was unintentional: "It’s just the way it worked out in terms of the way we alternated the quarterbacks was basically every other day, and the padded practices, shells, or helmets were independent of the rotation," the coach said.

• Watson worked with center Luke Wypler in team drills with starter Elgton Jenkins limited to only individual work. With rookie Parker Brailsford missing a third consecutive practice, Sanders worked with Kingsley Eguakun.

Thursday, Aug. 6

Practice No. 8 stats

Practice No. 8 updates and analysis

• This marked the final day of system installs, with Monken focusing on play action and the run game. That didn't lead to much movement in the Browns' QB battle. In fact, Zac Jackson of The Athletic sees things going down to the wire: "As was the case after four days — no clear leader in the QB competition," Jackson wrote. "Almost certainly at least 2 weeks and 2 days left before we get a verdict."

• Sanders got his turn with the first unit and hooked up with KC Concepcion for the offense's lone passing touchdown of competitive periods. Watson worked with the second unit, and both quarterbacks threw an interception. For Watson, it was his seventh of camp.

• There's been some buzz around third-string quarterback Dillion Gabriel forcing his way into the QB competition. While he hasn't yet received first-team reps, he did mix in some with the second unit on Thursday, Aug. 6.

Wednesday, Aug. 5

Practice No. 7 stats

Practice No. 7 updates and analysis

• Watson was back with the first-team unit for this practice, which was held in shells (no pads). There was an emphasis on red zone work, which explains Watson's surge in touchdowns. With that said, Watson was sharp throughout, per ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi: "Deshaun Watson had his best day so far. Excelled in red zone work and was comfortable driving the ball outside of the 20, too."

• Sanders saw every second-team rep and threw the day's lone interception. The play was made by linebacker Winston Reid at the goal line.

• Sanders will be back with the first unit on Day 8, which is scheduled to be back in pads and the final day of installs.

Tuesday, Aug. 4

Practice No. 6 stats

Practice No. 6 updates and analysis

• Sanders took all first-team reps on Day 2 of pads, and while the defense reportedly won the day, especially in the 11-on-11 periods, Sanders had a few highlight-worthy throws as practice went on, including a well-placed ball along the sideline to Luke Floriea.

• Watson reporteldy had another shaky day, finishing just 5 of 11 passing in competitive drills. Sanders was an efficient 21 of 25 passing, and climbed above 70 percent completions over the duration of camp (including second-team reps), per ESPN Cleveland.

Monday, Aug. 3

Practice No. 5 stats

Practice No. 5 updates and analysis

• This marked the Browns' first practice in full pads of the 2026 offseason. Watson took every first-team rep. Sanders worked with the second unit, as the two QBs continue to rotate.

• The two highlight throws of the day belonged to Sanders, who first found a wide-open KC Concepcion behind the defense. Concepcion reportedly flashed in pads.

• Sanders then finished practice with a strong drive in a two-minute situation. He ended it with a deep touchdown pass to Gage Larvadain. It was the No. 2 offense working against the No. 2 defense.

• Sanders' two touchdown connections were the only scores the defense allowed in competitive periods, per ESPN Cleveland's tracker.

• Zac Jackson of The Athletic reported that Watson had another up-and-down day. He protected the football in this one, which was a plus, and showed a nice connection with tight end Harold Fannin Jr. ... "The occasional good one is always followed by a bad miss," Jackson wrote.

Saturday, Aug. 1

Practice No. 4 stats

Practice No. 4 updates and analysis

• Watson’s passing numbers, which are an unofficial practice tally, won’t do him many favors. He was intercepted three times in Saturday’s session alone, and has now been picked off six times in four practices.

• Watson downplayed camp INTs — “This is the perfect time to make all the mistakes you possibly can, because it doesn’t really count,” he told reporters — but he’ll need to clean things up to convince the coaching staff that he’s ready to start his first regular season games since midway through the 2024 season.

• Watson worked with the second unit on this day, and did connect for some short touchdown throws during red zone drills, per ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi.

Friday, July 31

Practice No. 3 stats:

Practice No. 3 updates and analysis

• Rookie wide receiver Denzel Boston made some highlight-reel plays during this practice, and it’s notable that he was working on the second unit with Sanders.

• Watson took all the first-team reps and had another up-and-down day. He was picked off by inside linebacker Quincy Williams on one throw over the middle.

Thursday, July 30 

Practice No. 2 stats:

Practice No. 2 updates and analysis

• Sanders operated with the first-team offense throughout this practice, and the story wasn’t really his play on the field — it was his father, Deion, being in attendance. Both Monken and Berry met separately with Deion Sanders, and Monken called the chance to speak with the Pro Football Hall of Famer “awesome.”

Wednesday, July 29

Practice No. 1 stats:

Practice No. 1 updates and analysis

• The Browns kicked off training camp with Watson in the driver’s seat, but the starting unit struggled throughout. During an 11-on-11 period, Watson threw interceptions on consecutive plays to Damarri Mathis and Denzel Ward.

• Monken defended Watson’s poor showing, as the team was installing some quick-game and third-and-long concepts.

Cumulative practice stats

Notes: All stats are unofficial and are tallied via ESPN Cleveland's practice reports

Preseason game stats

What Todd Monken is saying

Thursday, Aug. 20: Monken on what he saw from his quarterbacks during Cleveland's joint practice with the Buffalo Bills.

“It was fine. Do I like to turn it over in the red zone? No. Do I like to miss an open touchdown? No. But we got a lot of good work against someone different, different looks, so that was really good. I’ll have to watch the film. The one thing I would say, maybe it was just me, it didn’t look like we were out of place. It looked like we belong. That’s all we wanted to see: do we belong? Does our first eleven give us a chance to move the ball and score? I felt that way today.”

Saturday, Aug. 15: Monken's update on the quarterback competition following Cleveland's 34-10 loss to Chicago in the preseason opener:

“Again, I did feel going into last game that it was relatively close in terms of both having an opportunity at the starting position, so it would be unfair to not go into the next game and give Shedeur that same opportunity. Albeit a different team, certainly at home. There’s no guarantee the same players will be playing in this game, but it’s the closest you have, and we owe it to both players, who have handled it well and competed at a high level.”

Wednesday, Aug. 12: When asked about what he wants to see from Deshaun Watson in the preseason opener, Monken made it clear that the veteran will have the green light to be himself and play freely.

"I think you have to be who you are because if you try to be something you're not, you're not going to play at the highest level of your skill set. So it's just the way it is with him; he's going to have to play or utilize his athleticism in order to play at the top of his skill set. ... But one of the superpowers is his athleticism. I mean, that always has been. So you can't take that away or you've basically taken away a part of what made him special."

Monday, Aug. 10: Monken's explanation for skipping Sanders in the pecking order during Day 10 of camp only added more confusion:

"Shedeur on Saturday took the ones in the [walkthrough]. So I anticipated him being with the ones. When I walked out, guys grabbed me and said, ‘Hey, the last couple days we’ve been kind of looking at it, Shedeur’s gotten a few more reps with the ones.’ That’s all it was. I wasn’t even at the moment… I was like, ‘Yea, sure, we’ll flip it and next week we’ll go the other way.’ I sure of hell wasn’t thinking about coming back here and telling all you guys that I was going to change my mind, um, because I really don’t have to. So that’s just the way, being the head coach, I can kind of do that. Ultimately, Shedeur’s going to go today with the ones, unless on the way out I change my mind, and then he won’t, OK?"

Thursday, Aug. 7: Watson's best day of camp came on Day 7, which included some pointed cadence work. Monken addressed whether cadence could be a deciding factor in his decision.

“It’s all part of the evaluation process, but everything’s not weighted equally. Are we talking about the quarterbacks in general? Is that what we’re getting at? In general, ultimately, the quarterback that’s going to play is the one that gives us the best chance to score points, so it’s all part of that. I would hope that we could get the quarterbacks and our offense to operate at a high level and then have the most talented guy that puts points on the board for us be the starter.”

Wednesday, Aug 5: Monken clarified a report by NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe that the Browns were playing to give both Watson and Sanders one preseason start before naming their Week 1 starter.

“Cam took little liberties with what our conversation was like. Basically, we talked about the quarterbacks playing in the preseason, and obviously, if it’s still a competition at that time, why wouldn’t you start one and then start the other and we would go from there. That’s really what the conversation was. He wasn’t wrong in what we talked about, which, you’ve all known they’re going to play in the preseason. Someone has to go out there for the first snap; thus, they would be the one who starts. But at this point we’re so far from that, it’s not as important as it was made out to be.”

Tuesday, Aug. 4: Monken once again defended Watson's early struggles due to a lack of "move the ball" sessions at this phase of camp.

"Right now, we're only doing that in two-minute," Monken said. "The only time you can try to stack plays besides just running one play after the other — 'hey, it's third-and-4, it's third-and-6, it's third-and-7,' right? The only time we have that is two-minute, and the last two we've been in there we haven't functioned very well. Now a lot of that has to do with the defense, in terms of how well they're able to rush the passer, but I'm concerned with any of that yet, with any of the quarterbacks. We have to start working on drives, and then once we start getting into practices against the Bills and the preseason games."

Saturday, Aug. 1: Monken addressed the elephant in the room — his quarterbacks throwing a combined 10 interceptions in four camp practices against a simulated pass rush. The Browns won’t be in full pads until Monday’s practice on Aug. 3.

“Now is the time to push the envelope in a lot of ways to see where they’re at. We certainly don’t want the interceptions and too many of them are beyond being a teaching tool — at some point you’re like, ‘Okay, I’m beyond being taught here. Stop throwing the ball to the other side.’ But it is part of the process of just working through it, and interceptions are part of the game, unfortunately. But again, did you learn from that? Now we’ll find out as we keep moving.”

Thursday, July 30: Here’s part of what Monken said about his pre-practice meeting with Deion Sanders:

“There was some back and forth as to being around Shedeur, in terms of how he processes things personality-wise and competitive-wise. He got into at the end, in terms of what makes him tick, which was good. But we’ve seen that. Most of what he said, we’ve been able to see. We haven’t gotten to games yet — that’s a different animal. But at this point, what he talked about, I would have said, ‘Yeah, that’s how I’ve seen it.’”

Wednesday, July 29: Speaking prior to the Browns’ first training camp practice, Monken reiterated that the best player will win the starting job for Week 1. 

“Their play decides who the starter is. I don’t have any preconceived notions of how they’ve played in the past or how they’re going to play. I can only judge with my eyes, and guys have to play well around them. I think we’ve shored some things up front. We’ve added some weapons on the perimeter. So I think that’s going to help. But they’ll decide who plays. I don’t decide who plays. The players decide who plays.”

What Deshaun Watson is saying 

Saturday, Aug. 15: Watson came out of his first real football action in almost two years feeling like he can still perform at a high level:

"I don't think [there is] anything that I doubt in myself," he said. "That's the reason why I worked hard these last two years to get back to that. Had some challenges with some injuries and suspension, and now being able to get a full offseason and continue to work my way back up, even though it takes time. But at the same time, I don't doubt myself in any way that I can't play at a high level."

Wednesday, Aug. 12: Whe asked if he's ready for the Browns' preseason opener on Aug. 15, Watson described how his "game has definitely changed" since fans last saw him play last in 2024.

"I'm different, man," Watson said before practice. "I think ever since I've been here early on, bringing up Houston was cool, but I'm 30 now. I had some injuries and things like that. So, my game has definitely changed. But the mentality in how I play and how I approach it doesn't."

Saturday, Aug. 1: Watson made it clear that he’s looking forward to playing live snaps in the Browns’ preseason games this month. 

“I’m looking forward to it. I haven’t played football in a long time, so for me, it doesn’t matter how long I play or how many games I play, I just want to play football. A lot of people wrote me off and said I wouldn’t be playing football again after two Achilles injuries. I’m proving that wrong and proving myself right. It’s a great opportunity for me to get out there and showcase what I can do.”

What Shedeur Sanders is saying

Satruday, Aug. 15: Sanders shook off a question on his big pass hookup with Luke Floriea after Cleveland's preseason loss, saying his best play in the game was actually a check down.

“I don’t really get excited about the big plays and that stuff no more because it’s like playing chess. It’s like if you do this, we are going to do that, you know? So, it’s just the right move at the right time.”

Wednesday, Aug. 12: Sanders addressed seeing his scheduled turn with the starters go to Watson during Cleveland's two-hour, fully-padded practice on Aug. 8.

“That doesn’t even faze me or get to me. I don’t think about that at all. I’m just thankful to be out here, able to practice. Sometimes you got to sit back and reflect on: ‘Why would I feel negative in this situation if last year was a totally different situation?’ So I think about things that I’m thankful for in life and not that I really want, because if you live in that ‘want’ world you’re going to always be searching.

"I don’t think with the coaches that we have that you ever wonder. I think whatever is said is direct. We were informed and everything the right way, so it was never a miscommunication between us. So, I don’t know. I just don’t really appreciate sometimes if things happen and y’all just jump on the coach, like, ‘He’s just trippin’ or something, you know? I don’t really like that, because it creates just — extra. And I hope y’all are here to want to win and be a team and be a franchise. So, it’s kind of like, we got to slow down. That’s what we want. But if we’re just in here to just make money and get clicks then, you know, we understand that, too. So that’s why I just appreciate the team. I appreciate everybody that we don’t let anything online, or anything really get to us. You know, because we’re in our own cocoon. We’re a team. So anything outside of that don’t really affect us in the building.”

Saturday, Aug. 1: Sanders said he feels like a different quarterback entering his second training camp with the Browns.

“I would say I pretty much figured myself out. Figured out my routine, learned about myself way more and I’m overall happy with the process.”

Browns training camp schedule

Monday, Aug. 17: 1:15 p.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 18: 1:15 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 19: 1:15 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 20: 1:15 p.m. (Joint practice with Buffalo Bills)

Monday, Aug. 24: 1:15 p.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 25: 1:15 p.m.

* denotes a practice open to the public. 

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