We’re less than 10 days away from the Cleveland Browns’ first open training camp practice in front of fans in Berea. And while there are at least a dozen position battles that will ultimately shape the edges of Todd Monken’s initial 53-man roster, the spotlight will shine exclusively on the quarterbacks until the head coach names his starter.
The Browns’ first week of training camp will be similar to OTAs and minicamp in that contact and any real semblance of a pass rush will be minimal. Per Zac Jackson of The Athletic, Cleveland won’t be permitted to practice in full pads until Week 2, when they’ll kick off six consecutive practices starting on Monday, Aug. 3.
First-team reps will likely be split close to 50/50 between top contenders Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders as a result, but fans should take any “breaking news” out of that first week with a grain of salt. Jackson doesn’t expect Monken to make any firm judgments until the pads come on, and he listed one date in particular as the most likely deadline for a decision.
“The fourth week of camp features the Browns’ Aug. 20 joint practice with the Buffalo Bills, the final practice ahead of the Browns-Bills preseason game on Aug. 22. Assuming both Watson and Sanders stay healthy and neither clearly wins the competition early in August, that joint practice and the preseason game probably serve as something close to last call for Monken to make a decision.”
The Cleveland Browns' joint practice with Buffalo could decide their QB competition
Cleveland almost has to have its starting quarterback named by Monday, Aug. 24, which will kick off the final week of the preseason. The Browns will host the Patriots that Thursday night, and they’ll want to get the starting offense on the field for at least a few series before what will be a 16-day break ahead of the regular-season opener on Sept. 13.
According to Jackson, the Browns tentatively have eight full practices scheduled between the preseason finale and their trip to Jacksonville for Week 1. With a brand-new offensive line and potential rookie starters at left tackle, wide receiver, and tight end, Monken will need every one of those practice reps to get his team ready for a difficult first test against the Jaguars.
Browns fans should expect the QB decision to drag well into August, though. It would make sense for either Watson or Sanders to start the first preseason game against Chicago, and for the other to start the Bills game.
It’s the joint practice on Aug. 20, prior to that second game with Buffalo, that could make or break the competition. While frustratingly not open for fans to attend, those sessions tend to be uber-competitive, with more quality one-on-one reps than the actual preseason game. Based on recent history, Buffalo’s starters on defense might not even dress for the game — but they’ll be out in full force on the practice field in Berea that week.
There should be some tangible separation in the Browns’ QB competition after the second week of camp, as Cleveland’s offense should have its hands full once Jared Verse, Carson Schwesinger, Denzel Ward, and the rest the team's top defenders can put on pads and start hitting people.
But if Monken wants this to be a true competition, he’ll want to wait that extra week until Buffalo comes to town. Some concentrated reps against arguably the best team in the AFC should help solve Cleveland’s latest quarterback dilemma on its own.
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