Having multiple viable quarterbacks can be a blessing… or a burden.
The Cleveland Browns are navigating that reality this offseason. After Tuesday’s mandatory minicamp session, head coach Todd Monken admitted that the QB competition between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson remains unresolved.
Browns Head Coach Todd Monken Struggling to Make QB Decision
Monken has watched Sanders and Watson split first-team reps all offseason, and neither QB has done enough to lock down the job. Neither has done enough to lose it, either, and that’s exactly the problem. It’s hard to fault the guy for being honest.
“I like both of them,” Monken said. “I don’t know what to say. It’s really as simple as that… I just can’t do it. I’m not there yet and that’s the reality of it.”
The team hasn’t put the pads on yet or had live reps against actual opponents. Judging a quarterback competition purely on shells and 7-on-7 work has its obvious limits.
“That’s the hard thing,” Monken acknowledged. “As much as I’d love to make that decision, either by someone separating themselves upward or downward either way, which has not occurred.”
So, the Browns are doing what the Browns do: they’re heading into training camp without a clear starter QB once again.
In 2025, Joe Flacco opened the season as the starter while Watson sat out recovering from another Achilles procedure. Flacco eventually got traded to the Cincinnati Bengals in October. Dillon Gabriel stepped in for six games. Sanders then took over and went 3-4 down the stretch in his rookie year. He posted a PFSN QB Impact Score of 56.7 last season, which ranked 40th in the league (while Gabriel’s 50.8 QBi score ranked 41st).
The minicamp reps have been deliberately balanced. Sanders got all the first-team 11-on-11 snaps on Tuesday, and Watson is set to run with the ones on Wednesday. They’ll split things evenly on Thursday. Monken seems intent on giving both quarterbacks a fair shake before making any decision.
Watson is the veteran with the big contract and the complicated history. Sanders is the fan-favorite youngster who showed flashes of real promise late last season.
Watson’s durability has been a genuine concern for years now. Sanders is still raw and still learning what an NFL defense looks like at full speed. Monken, for his part, is a first-year NFL head coach navigating one of the messier roster situations in the league.
He came in saying the right things about wanting clarity at the position. That’s what every coach says. The reality is that sometimes the competition just doesn’t give you a clean answer.
“I would have loved to,” Monken said. “I was being honest. I think you would love to have the starter named, I just can’t do it.”
Monken keeps delivering the same message, and it sounds genuine every time. This doesn’t come across as a coach trying to mislead the media or keep opponents guessing. It sounds like someone who simply believes the competition remains unsettled.
Training camp is around the corner, and preseason games will soon provide more evidence. Eventually, a decision will have to be made. The Browns need a starting quarterback, and the regular season isn’t going to wait.
For now, though, the race remains open.
