Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson each received first-team snaps during team drills during the first meaningful practice under new head coach Todd Monken. Dillon Gabriel did not receive first-team snaps.
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That structure was intentional, Monken said, and a recommendation from quarterbacks coach Mike Bajakian that Monken approved.
Sanders received first-team snaps initially in 11-on-11 drills.
“He was the first one up,” Monken said Tuesday afternoon. “The way it was going to work out, Shedeur was going to get more reps, some at (seven-on-seven) and some at (11-on-11). The team periods were slowed down (and) set up so we could see everyone.
“The plan was for Shedeur to get a few more reps, but for Deshaun and Shedeur to get reps with those.”
Monken said the distribution of first-team snaps will change during this week’s three-day voluntary minicamp. He rejected the characterization that Sanders and Watson are the two candidates likely to be the incumbent.Advertisement
“I wouldn’t say it’s a two-man race,” Monken said. “I would just say that at every position there is competition. Regardless of how many reps they get, like I’ve said before, everyone should compete.”
Monken praised Gabriel’s “professionalism” and “intelligence,” and said he is focused on controlling what he can control and directing his own career.
The Browns selected Gabriel in the third round of last year’s NFL Draft and then selected Sanders in the fifth round. Cleveland acquired Watson in a trade from the Houston Texans in 2022. But since the Browns paid a high price for Watson that included three first-round picks, Watson suffered a shoulder injury and ACL tears that have sidelined him since October 2024. Between those injuries and his 11-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, Watson has missed 49 of 68 regular-season games in his four years as a Brown.
Watson returned to practice in December after undergoing a second ACL repair in January 2025. Monken said he saw no rust from those injuries during Tuesday’s two-hour practice session.
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“The ball is coming out great,” Monken said. “I can’t go into his body to know how he felt. But he moved very well and the ball came out very well.”
Defense before offense in Browns minicamp team drills
Sanders, Watson and Gabriel began practicing by running footwork drills and throwing routes in the air. Watson’s movement was fluid during transitions and handoffs, and he spoke to sideline players after a few reps, including mentoring a tryout receiver, Keith Kirkwood, after they shared the field during a second-team 11-on-11 play.
Sanders hit receiver Isaiah Bond on the ground during team drills on consecutive plays at one point.
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The defense received a ball from each quarterback in seven-on-seven and 11-on-11 drills, twice securing interceptions and once a pass breakup.
Linebacker Quincy Williams dove to deflect Watson’s pass during a first-team play in which Watson targeted Bond. On the next play, Watson hit receiver Malachi Corley in traffic on an intermediate route.
Corley had more trouble on a subsequent seven-on-seven deep ball down the right sideline from Sanders, Corley briefly slowing down along his route before accelerating too late. Cornerback D’Angelo Ross intercepted the pass.
Gabriel’s interception came after safety Daniel Thomas batted a pass and test safety JT Woods then caught his deflection for the pick.
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Sanders said the practice, including his throw to Corley, offered a chance for accountability.
“I threw a go ball to Malachi and he slowed down and I said, ‘Hey,’ and I gave him that look (and) I said, ‘Bro, we can’t afford that,’” Sanders said. “So you give guys opportunities and some things go your way, some things don’t. But at the end of the day we had a serious, deeper connection… So the next time he went out, he lined up one-on-one and was able to get it.”
Monken acknowledged the need to improve ball security, but praised the quarterbacks’ dominance at the line of scrimmage.
“I thought the quarterbacks performed incredibly today in terms of reviewing plays, getting us out of (the audible plays),” he said. “I thought they were in charge. I never felt at any point that they were lost. I thought all the work they did in the last two weeks until today… to me, that’s the beginning. The beginning is how we function, how they lead, if there is a belief system and who has the ball in their hands on every play.”
What the Browns’ QB competition will look like
Browns general manager Andrew Berry has acknowledged the possibility of the Browns drafting a quarterback sometime this week. For now, Sanders and Watson appear to be the leaders in the clubhouse.
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Sanders completed 56.6% of his passes in eight games, seven starts, last season. He threw for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions while rushing 21 times for 169 yards and a score.
The Browns won three of the seven games he started.
Over his career, Watson has completed 66.2% of his passes for 17,904 yards, 123 touchdowns and 48 interceptions with a 37-35 record in starts.
His tenure with the Browns has paled in comparison to his production with the Texans, Watson’s passer rating dropped from 104.5 to 80.7. The Browns won just one of the seven games he started in 2024, Watson’s touchdown percentage dropped from his career average of 5.3% to 2.3%.
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The Browns will monitor which skill set and command of the quarterback’s offense will best position them for success starting in Week 1.
Last year, the Browns had four quarterbacks competing in the offseason and finally started veteran Joe Flacco in Week 1. And yet, Flacco was limited during spring practices and training camp because the Browns didn’t believe he needed the same amount of development they were giving first Kenny Pickett and then Gabriel.
Watson has a much deeper bench of mental reps at the NFL level, but he’s also missed significant time; its last live repeats were in October 2024.
How will quarterbacks learn his new playbook as they transition from Kevin Stefanski’s offense to Monken’s?
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“I know how I learn,” Sanders said when asked. “Knowing that I know how I learn is great. Coaches can communicate in different ways to help you learn and that’s why I appreciate the coaching staff, honestly.
“You could say that someone doesn’t know how to learn, but the question is: how did that person get to this level if they don’t know how to learn?
“Then you have to change your perspective and think: Does he not know how to learn or do I not know how to communicate with him?”
Watson did not address reporters Tuesday.
Sanders thanked the coaches for embracing him and said he didn’t want to make schematic comparisons between last season and this season because he wanted to focus on positivity and looking forward. He said he would review the tape and situational space for last year’s growth (Sanders said Monken’s recent conversation about the importance of daily regiments resonated with him), but otherwise he was trying to eliminate negativity from his life.
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“I recalibrated my life to see everything as fun,” Sanders said.
Including the quarterback competition?
“We’re competing against ourselves,” Sanders said. “That’s not up to me. I go out every day and focus on what I can control.”
“If I focused on something I couldn’t control, I would be living the wrong way.”