The Browns quarterback competition continues shifting on a near daily basis, and day 12 of training camp brought the rotation back around to Deshaun Watson, who once again received every first-team rep as Cleveland closes in on its preseason opener against Chicago. This pattern of alternating full days between Watson and Shedeur Sanders has become something of a norm over the past two weeks. Watson’s latest turn with the starters produced a performance that, while not flawless, still reinforced the progress he has shown across most of his recent opportunities this summer.
ESPN Cleveland shared the full breakdown once the twelfth practice of camp wrapped up in Berea.
“DAY 12 OF BROWNS TRAINING CAMP IS IN THE BOOKS! Here’s how each QB performed in team drills (7v7 and 11v11). Deshaun Watson took all the 1st team reps,” ESPN Cleveland wrote.
DAY 12 OF BROWNS TRAINING CAMP IS IN THE BOOKS! Here’s how each QB performed in team drills (7v7 and 11v11). Deshaun Watson took all the 1st team reps. pic.twitter.com/YTVCB7lMR7
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 11, 2026
Watson finished 20-29 with a touchdown and an interception, a solid if unspectacular outing that fell short of the more explosive multi-touchdown performances he strung together earlier in the week but still represented efficient, high-volume work against Cleveland’s disguise-heavy defense. Sanders went 17-25 without finding the end zone but also without turning the ball over, continuing the pattern of clean, mistake-free operation he has generally shown. Dillon Gabriel went 5-11 with both a touchdown and an interception of his own, while Green again did not see action.
With the preseason opener against Chicago now just days away, sessions like this one carry added weight as potentially the final extended practice look Todd Monken gets before game action starts factoring into his evaluation. Both quarterbacks have made their respective cases at various points over the past two weeks, and neither has fully separated from the other in a way that has settled the competition definitively, despite plenty of outside speculation suggesting Watson holds a meaningful edge in the coaching staff’s eyes.
Twelve practices into camp, the rotation continues, and Browns fans will not have to wait much longer before preseason snaps begin adding a new layer of evidence to a competition that has refused to produce an easy answer all summer.
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