After a rough opening day that included two interceptions and plenty of outside criticism about his overall performance, Deshaun Watson responded with a much cleaner outing on day two of Cleveland Browns training camp. The turnaround was noticeable enough that it caught the attention of reporters watching every rep, offering a needed reset to a competition that had started to lean heavily in Shedeur Sanders’ favor after Wednesday’s practice.
Zac Jackson noted the clear step forward in Watson’s ball placement compared to the previous day.
“Watson is throwing it much better in the early parts of practice and 7 on 7 than he did yesterday. There was only one direction it could go, but it’s gone that way to this point,” Jackson wrote.
Watson is throwing it much better in the early parts of practice and 7 on 7 than he did yesterday. There was only one direction it could go, but it’s gone that way to this point.
— Zac Jackson (@AkronJackson) July 30, 2026
ESPN Cleveland’s full tracker backed up that assessment with the numbers to match, and this time it was Sanders taking on the tougher workload against the first team defense while Watson worked with a mix of personnel.
“Browns training camp day two is a wrap. Here’s how all the quarterbacks performed in team drills, 7 on 7 and 11 on 11. Shedeur Sanders took all the first team reps,” the ESPN Cleveland tracker read.
BROWNS TRAINING CAMP DAY 2 IS A WRAP!
Here’s how all the QBs performed in team drills (7v7 and 11v11). Shedeur Sanders took all the 1st team reps. pic.twitter.com/uyII499p1a
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) July 30, 2026
Watson finished the day completing 16-22 passes without a single turnover, a significant improvement from his 12-22, two interception showing just a day earlier. Sanders also turned in a clean performance, going 14-24 without a pick, though his lower completion rate came against the starting defense rather than a rotational look. Dillon Gabriel and Taylen Green rounded out a strong overall day for the group, combining to go 16-17 without a turnover between them.
Context matters here, since the two quarterbacks were not working against the same level of competition on this particular day. Watson benefiting from a lighter workload against the top defense helps explain part of his statistical rebound, but the eye test improvement Jackson described suggests this was not purely a product of an easier matchup.
Neither quarterback has separated himself definitively through two practices, and that is likely by design as Todd Monken continues rotating first-team reps to get a full body of work from both players before making any real decisions.
With the preseason still weeks away and plenty of practice time remaining, day two served as a useful reminder that training camp evaluations vary from day to day. Watson needed a response after Wednesday’s outing, and by most accounts, he delivered one.
NEXT: Shedeur Sanders Had Big Company At Training Camp Today
