The Cleveland Browns are not ready to choose between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson, but head coach Todd Monken has established a clear plan for keeping the competition even.
Sanders received all of the first-team snaps during Tuesday’s minicamp practice, while Watson operated with the backups. He stepped up in the spotlight, completing 25 of 30 attempts with one TD and no interceptions, per Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.
The rep arrangement will reverse Wednesday before the Browns divide the work during their final practice Thursday.
“It’ll flip back [to Watson] tomorrow,” Monken said. “And then on Thursday, we’ll split. That’s really what we’ve been trying to do.”
The rotation will give both quarterbacks an extended opportunity to operate with the starters rather than rotating.
Shedeur Sanders Firmly in Browns’ Starting Mix
Watson appeared to hold the edge for much of the offseason program because of his experience. But Sanders appears to have closed the gap.
After starting his rookie season buried on the depth chart, he eventually got his shot. He completed 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions across seven starts.
It wasn’t always pretty, but there were some encouraging stretches, which Monken noted shortly after getting the job in Cleveland.
“I think what you see is elite playmaking ability — that’s in him. You’ve seen it, we’ve seen it. You saw it in college. You saw it on tape last year,” Monken said in February. “Sure, there’s a ways to go, but what rookie isn’t? I mean, what first-year player doesn’t have a long way to go?”
Todd Monken Willing to Wait on Browns QB Decision
Monken acknowledged that he hoped the quarterback decision would be made before the Browns completed their offseason program. That doesn’t look like it will be the case.
“I’m not going to name a No. 1,” Monken said. “I shouldn’t say that. Chances are I will not. Now, once we get to the fall, we’ll have to dissect the reps how we see fit. I just don’t see it after the way Shedeur’s played and the way Deshaun’s played. They both played well enough to earn the right to compete to start.”
There is little reason for Cleveland to force a decision before the competition moves into a more revealing stage. The Browns also need to see how Watson’s body responds once the intensity increases. He is attempting to return from a twice-ruptured Achilles, leaving legitimate questions about his mobility, durability and ability to withstand contact over a full season.
“Well, I would have hoped [to have his QB1], but I like both of them,” Monken said. “I mean, I don’t know what to say. It’s really as simple as that.
“I like both of them and we haven’t had the pads on. As much as I’d love to have made that decision either by someone separating themselves upward or downward either way — which has not occurred — and we haven’t even gotten to practicing against an opponent, putting the pads on, having a controlled scrimmage or playing preseason games. I would have loved to do it. I was being honest. I think you’d love to have the starter named. I just can’t do it. I’m not there yet. That’s the reality.”
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