The Cleveland Browns took the field for their first test of the Todd Monken era, and it definitely didn't go as planned. There were some encouraging signs in the first half, and the final score — a 34-10 Bears win — doesn't accurately reflect the game. But there's still plenty of cleanup to do.
Notably, the quarterback competition remains unsettled for the wrong reasons. Deshaun Watson's dink-and-dunk fest wasn't promising, and Shedeur Sanders got progressively worse as the Browns kept fielding backups.
However, an upbeat Monken liked what he saw from his signal-callers, so he won't let the final score change his plans for next week's practice schedule.
Monken said he plans to split first-team reps during Thursday's joint practice with the Buffalo Bills, with Sanders still poised to start Saturday's preseason home game and play the full first half. Watson will get the third quarter, and Dillon Gabriel will wrap things up in the fourth.
The Browns are wasting their most valuable preseason reps
Monken will have to make a decision at some point. Granted, if he's still not settled, it makes sense that he gives both candidates equal conditions, meaning Sanders should get some run behind the starting offensive line and with the top wide receivers.
That said, this also feels like a waste of a joint practice. Those reps are priceless, and they should help whoever is leading the quarterback race catch up. Time is running out, and they can't keep dragging this on for much longer.
Watson's numbers from the Bears game only tell half of the story. He averaged 4.4 air yards per pass, and his numbers were significantly inflated by a Dylan Sampson screen play that went for 43 yards. Watson looked rusty and erratic when under duress. According to ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi, he completed just 2 of 4 passes for 17 yards and averaged 4.3 yards per attempt under pressure.
He's closer to being a finished product at this point in his career, and that "shake off the rust" cliche won't cut it anymore. Watson has even lost most of his mobility due to his brutal injury history since joining Cleveland.
As for Sanders, he's clearly not afraid to sling the pigskin down the field. He doesn't always make the best decisions, but he can at least give this team some sort of vertical threat, which should keep opposing defenses honest if he gets a chance with the new playmakers. Sanders averaged 9.2 air yards per attempt against the Bears, per Oyefusi.
It's just the preseason, and there's no need to sound the alarms yet, but the first glance of the quarterback competition ended just like everyone feared it would. Unless something drastic changes, this team will be back in the quarterback market in 2027.
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