It’s been a fascinating offseason to date for the Cleveland Browns, and the intrigue should only ramp up more come the start of training camp.
There will be much more going on than just the quarterback competition between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson, but that will undoubtedly be the prime focus of the national media when camp kicks off on July 28.
The latest example came during a recent NFL Network interview with Browns rookie wide receiver KC Concepcion. He was asked about the state of the quarterback battle and, as expected, didn’t divulge much inside information. While Watson’s experience and monstrous 2026 salary should give him an edge over Sanders this summer, it appears a true evaluation could take place over the first few weeks of camp.
Concepcion did, however, portray a mindset that speaks volumes of what head coach Todd Monken has been able to accomplish in a short period of time.
“Both of those guys are amazing people, amazing teammates, amazing quarterbacks,” Concepcion said of Sanders and Watson. “Everybody is fighting for a spot on the roster so, you know, it’s going to be intriguing who comes away with it.”
Todd Monken’s messaging appears to be resonating with the Browns’ young core
Monken’s highest level of coaching was as the head coach at Southern Miss from 2013-15. The Browns are his first head-coaching gig at the NFL level, so it may actually be fitting that his first roster is about to rank as one of the youngest in football.
So far, the 60-year-old coach doesn’t appear to be struggling to connect with a locker room loaded with players aged 25 and below. Cleveland just made Concepcion the 24th overall pick in the 2026 draft. The fact that he basically described himself like he's Jamari Thrash is exactly what you want to hear.
The Browns obviously have several roster locks entering camp, including some of their non-starters. The “everybody is fighting for a spot on the roster” line is more of a mindset, and Concepcion clearly gets it.
As for the quarterback competition, all we can really discern from Concepcion’s comments is that everything has been amazing so far. The bulk of the fan base would probably disagree with that take, but for such a complicated situation all the way around, there doesn’t appear to be a shred of animosity between the quarterbacks themselves or the locker room as a whole.
That’s just another good sign that Monken’s messaging is getting through, and that the Browns are finally building something sustainable.
Add us as a preferred source on Google