Now a dozen days into Todd Monken’s first training camp, there appears to be a clear leader in the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback competition. The head coach, for some painful reason, just isn’t ready to make the Deshaun Watson announcement official.
The harsh reality is that time is of the essence. Following Wednesday’s practice on Aug. 12, the Browns will practice six times and play three preseason games over a span of 15 days. The team will then trim its roster to an initial 53 players and begin preparations for the season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars in September.
At one point early in camp, it appeared as if Shedeur Sanders had taken the lead in Cleveland’s battle. This past weekend, when Watson took every first-team rep in back-to-back practices for the first time, it seemed like Monken would hit the podium that Monday and name Watson the starter, at least for the first preseason game.
But while the coach has announced promotions, like Spencer Fano at left tackle and Denzel Boston at wide receiver, he has remained mum on the quarterbacks. To former NFL executive and current ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, that’s a major problem in mid-August.
The Minnesota Vikings had just named Kyler Murray their starting quarterback over J.J. McCarthy ahead of the preseason, but Riddick might as well have been looking Monken straight in the eyes when he delivered this rant:
“There isn’t time to have a traditional “competition” at the NFL level at QB,” Riddick posted. “Teams have to get people ready to PLAY. Reps are scarce. At some point you must make a decision, and likely much sooner rather than later. And in many cases… the decision is made before the competition even begins. All that is needed is confirmation.”
Todd Monken can’t afford to let the Browns' QB madness continue much longer
Monken has continued to label his quarterback situation as a competition, even telling reporters this week that he plans to start either Watson or Sanders in the first preseason game, which is Saturday, Aug. 15, at Chicago, and the other in preseason Game 2, which is home against Buffalo on Aug. 22.
Tuesday was Watson’s turn to be back leading the starting offense, and even his biggest detractors can’t deny what their eyes are telling them.
Longtime Browns voice Zac Jackson has been hammering the point that going back to Watson, the quarterback who helped sink the franchise, makes no sense for a Browns team that’s attempting to usher in a new era. Jackson has gone on the record countless times and said that letting Sanders sink or swim with Cleveland’s young offense is the only logical path forward given the current state of the roster.
But Jackson has also watched every rep of the spring program and training camp that has been open to the media. And he sees the same writing on the wall that Browns fans are dreading but already sense is coming.
“The separator right now, if there is one, is in the move-the-ball, game simulation periods,” Jackson wrote of Tuesday’s practice. “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.”
Monken didn’t wait 37 years for his first NFL head coaching job just to accept a developmental year and eye an NFL Draft that’s still over 250 days away. Watson appears to be Monken’s preferred quarterback in terms of timing, managing the huddle, and making plays with his legs. The Browns are also paying Watson a $46 million salary this year whether he sits or plays.
To Riddick’s point, there are only so many reps to go around. Starting Sanders makes the most sense by far, but it’s also disappointing that he hasn’t clearly separated himself from Watson, who hasn’t thrown a real NFL pass since October of 2024 and is coming off a twice-torn Achilles tendon. Sanders seemed to be gaining some momentum, but the pendulum swinging back Watson’s way signals an obvious conclusion.
At some point, Monken’s going to have to deliver the bad news to Browns fans. For everyone’s sake, let’s hope he ends the madness sooner rather than later.
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