Browns’ QB Reps Shifted On Day 5 Of Training Camp

Deshaun Watson returned to the top of the rotation for day five of Cleveland Browns training camp, taking every first-team rep after Shedeur Sanders had handled that role during the previous session. The shift gave Watson another extended opportunity against the starting defense, and while he avoided turnovers for the first time in several practices, the results were far from good as this closely watched competition continues to unfold.

ESPN Cleveland’s daily tracker broke down the full performance from all four quarterbacks during Monday’s team drills.

“Day five of Browns training camp is a wrap. Here’s how all four quarterbacks performed in team drills, 7 on 7 and 11 on 11. Deshaun Watson took all of the first team reps,” the ESPN Cleveland tracker read.

DAY 5 OF BROWNS TRAINING CAMP IS A WRAP! Here’s how all 4 QBs performed in team drills (7v7 and 11v11). Deshaun Watson took all of the 1st team reps. pic.twitter.com/cbOe3ielo5

— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 3, 2026

Watson finished the day completing 13-25 passes without a touchdown or an interception. Sanders, working with a lighter rep count against a mix of personnel, went 8-16 with two touchdowns and no interceptions, once again finding the end zone at a higher rate despite the reduced workload. Dillon Gabriel and Taylen Green rounded out a clean day overall for the group, combining to go 10-16 without a single turnover between them.

Watson avoiding a turnover marks a positive step after his six interceptions across his first four practices. Still, a completion percentage barely above 50 percent against extended first-team reps does little to answer questions about whether he has fully turned a corner, especially with Sanders continuing to produce touchdowns at a notably higher rate even in a smaller sample of work.

With the preseason still ahead and plenty of practice time remaining, Monday’s results add another data point to a competition. Watson cleaning up his turnovers is a meaningful step in the right direction, but matching Sanders’ scoring production remains the next hurdle if he hopes to make a definitive case for the starting job once real decisions need to be made.