Browns Insider Reveals A Camp Test One QB Passed, One Didn’t

Todd Monken has built a specific evaluation process into training camp designed to test skills that go well beyond simple completion percentages, and one particular drill this week produced a clear separation between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders. According to longtime Cleveland reporter Tony Grossi, a session focused specifically on quarterback cadence exposed a real difference between the two competitors, one that touches on a skill Monken views as essential to running a truly elite offense.

Grossi detailed exactly how the drill played out and why Monken places such heavy emphasis on this particular aspect of quarterback play.

“Todd Monken had one period designed to test QBs cadence. Big issue with him. Watson was able to draw defense offsides twice. Sanders couldnt do it. Monken insists you cant have elite offense w/o elite cadence, ability to use up to 10 different cadences,” Grossi wrote.

Todd Monken had one period designed to test QBs cadence. Big issue with him. Watson was able to draw defense offsides twice. Sanders couldnt do it. Monken insists you cant have elite offense w/o elite cadence — ability to use up to 10 different cadences.

— Tony Grossi (@TonyGrossi) August 5, 2026

Sanders struggling with the test is not entirely surprising given the experience gap between the two quarterbacks. Watson has started dozens of NFL games across his career, giving him far more opportunity to develop and refine these kinds of subtle pre-snap tools than Sanders, who is still just entering his second professional season. Still, Monken’s insistence that cadence work is a prerequisite for building a truly elite offense suggests this is a real area where Watson currently holds an advantage in this competition.

Cadence manipulation doesn’t show up in a basic stat line, but it carries weight in how Monken is evaluating his quarterbacks internally, reinforcing that this decision will ultimately come down to far more than what fans have been able to track through daily practice reports.

Watson passing this particular evaluation gives him a genuine advantage in his favor, even as Sanders continues building his own case through consistency and efficiency in more traditional team drill settings.