We’re four months into the Cleveland Browns’ Todd Monken era, and so far, the first-year NFL head coach’s messaging has been nearly impeccable. There’s really only one nit for Browns fans to pick at with Monken: His odd insistence on setting a quarterback depth chart ahead of training camp.
The closer we get to the team’s first mandatory full-squad practices, which arrive June 9 via a minicamp, the blurrier the Browns’ quarterback competition between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders gets. The social media clips and overall buzz seem to favor Watson, but as Zac Jackson of The Athletic continues to warn, there are countless throws fans aren’t seeing that are the opposite of highlight-reel quality. That goes for every quarterback on the roster.
There is only so much teams can gain from modern NFL spring workouts, which are completely voluntary for the players to attend and restrict contact. They’re prohibited from wearing pads during this portion of the offseason program, so these practices are weighted heavily towards the mental part of the game.
One NFL coach whose approach feels strikingly similar to what Monken’s going for is Detroit’s Dan Campbell. His take on the first week of Lions OTAs was vintage Campbell, but he may have inadvertently set the tone for how Browns fans should be viewing things right now — especially when it comes to the quarterbacks.
“I mean, there’s been a lot of guys that have done really well for two days in pajamas, and then there’s some that are learning through it,” Campbell said. “You know, they’re working through it. They’re learning. But, again, I’m not gonna — I’m done with the hype of the pajama party in May. So, man, it’s about the mental, it’s about the movement skills. All that other stuff doesn’t matter, and then we’ll find out in training camp who’s who.”
The Browns’ quarterback battle hasn’t truly started yet
That last sentence of Campbell’s quote — which already deserves consideration for quote of the year, by the way — should resonate with Browns fans most. "All that other stuff doesn’t matter, and we’ll find out in training camp who’s who."
No matter what Monken and the team decides to put out there relative to a depth chart in mid-June, fans shouldn’t read into it. These are essentially glorified passing camps, and the competition on the field isn’t even remotely close to what we’ll see during training camp. Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, and half of the team’s expected starters aren’t even on the field yet.
Based on everything we’ve heard from those with boots on the ground this spring, the expectation should be for Watson to be announced as first on the depth chart, followed by Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, and Taylen Green. The timing should be around the team’s mandatory minicamp that ends on June 11, before the team breaks for a month ahead of training camp.
And when that inevitably happens — whether it’s Watson or Sanders in the top spot — it’s not going to mean half as much as the radio talk shows and national media will attempt to make it seem. Monken feels like a Dan Campbell kind of guy, and Browns fans can rest assured that Campbell would never make a major team decision off a pajama party.
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