One of the most encouraging things about the Cleveland Browns’ ongoing quarterback competition is that Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders seem to be bringing out the best in each other. After Watson built enough momentum to earn first-team reps on back-to-back days, Sanders put forth an excellent effort given the chance he was denied on Saturday.
It was a surprising development that had some observers declaring that the battle for the starting QB job was over, and it belonged to Watson. Head coach Todd Monken has never said that, and Sanders continues to do everything he can to make his case.
At the Browns’ 11th practice of training camp, Sanders had a big day on Monday, completing 16 of 23 attempts with three touchdowns.
“Shedeur Sanders took all the 1st team reps,” ESPN Cleveland posted.
DAY 11 OF BROWNS TRAINING CAMP IS A WRAP! Here’s how each QB performed in team drills (11v11). Shedeur Sanders took all the 1st team reps. pic.twitter.com/oYnkgeAi22
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 10, 2026
Watson had a very similar performance, completing 15 of 22 attempts with two touchdowns, but it was with the second team. Dillon Gabriel completed five of his eight attempts as he tries to earn the backup job.
Monken had alternated first-team practices between Watson and Sanders very consistently once full-team workouts began at camp. But that started to change slightly on Thursday, when Watson ran the unit in two out of three series on what was supposed to be Sanders’ day.
Then, on Friday, Watson took his regular turn with first-team snaps. The real surprise came on Saturday, when after Monken told reporters that Sanders would run the first team, all of those snaps were given to Watson again, and he responded with four TDs and no interceptions.
But on Monday, Sanders was back in charge of the top offense. That may have been Monken’s plan all along, or it may have been an effort to quiet the firestorm and rumors that his decision to change things up on Saturday created.
Now, the next important indicator will come on Saturday, based on who starts the preseason opener against the Chicago Bears. That will be followed by a joint practice and preseason game against the Buffalo Bills the following week.
There is still more than a month to go until Week 1 of the regular season, which means these daily updates will be important until a starter is announced.
NEXT: 4 Key Browns Players Missed Practice On Monday
