Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken clarified his preseason quarterback plans after media reports sparked confusion over starting assignments for Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders. Monken explained that while both players will see action in upcoming games, no definitive starting lineup or final decision has been locked in yet.
The race to lead the Cleveland Browns offense remains wide open as the team navigates its preparations for the upcoming slate.
Untangling the Preseason Quarterback Rotation
When asked about those plans, Monken explained that the conversation was more about ensuring both signal-callers receive live reps rather than locking in stone tablets.
Monken added that if the quarterback competition remains active when those games arrive, utilizing both starters makes practical sense. Someone has to take the initial snap, marking them as the starter for that specific night, but the coach emphasized that the team is still too far away from kickoff to treat the provisional lineup as a final mandate.
“Obviously if it’s still a competition at that time, why wouldn’t you start one and start the other and then we would go from there. That was really what the conversation was. He wasn’t wrong in what we talked about, which you’ve all known that they’re gonna play in the preseason. Someone has to go out there for the first snap thus they would be the one that starts. At this point we’re so far from that, that it’s not really as important as what it got made out to be.”
Todd Monken, Browns head coach, via Nbcsports
Evaluating the Contenders in Cleveland
The ongoing battle highlights a pivotal juncture for a franchise that has cycled through 19 different starting quarterbacks over the last 10 seasons from 2016 through 2025 as detailed in league tracking data. Watson enters the summer looking to reestablish his footing after a turbulent stretch defined by injuries and suspensions. After signing a fully guaranteed, five-year, $230 million contract prior to the 2022 season, Watson’s time on the field has been severely limited. He missed the entire 2021 campaign, served an 11-game suspension in 2022 for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy following allegations of sexual misconduct, and suffered Achilles tears in both Week 7 of 2024 and again in January 2025. He has not appeared in a regular-season game since October 2024.
On the other side of the competition, Sanders is looking to build on an unexpected rookie campaign. Selected in the fifth round at No. 144 overall in the draft after a notable Day 3 slide, Sanders stepped into the starting role last year after Joe Flacco departed and Dillon Gabriel suffered a concussion. Sanders started seven games for the team last season, throwing for 1,400 yards and becoming the first Cleveland quarterback this century to win his debut start with the franchise.
Path to the Regular Season Opener
Monken confirmed that Watson and Sanders will continue splitting reps evenly with the first-team offense as long as the evaluation window remains open. The coaching staff plans to use the opening exhibition games against the Bears and the Bills—alongside joint practices with Buffalo—to evaluate performance under fire.
Those evaluations will ultimately help determine who takes the field against the defending AFC Champion New England Patriots in the final preseason tune-up on August 27. Despite the weight of those exhibition assignments, Monken maintained that the final depth chart will remain fluid all the way until the Browns kick off their regular-season schedule against the Jaguars in Jacksonville.
Related reading
