Todd Monken has had multiple opportunities to name a starting quarterback – or at least the leading candidate for the position – since becoming head coach of the Cleveland Browns back in January. Instead, he has chosen to leave that decision floating in the wind, saying it will be an “open competition” among whoever is on the roster.
He then tipped his hand somewhat by saying the reps in that competition would not be distributed equally. That was seen as him having someone already in mind before he even ran his first practice.
Now, Browns legend Hanford Dixon is saying he believes Monken does have a preference for his starting QB, and it’s Deshaun Watson.
“When you look at the type of offense that we’re going to be running this year, I think that Todd would feel a lot safer with Deshaun in that quarterback role,” Dixon said.
If Todd Monken is putting his job on the line, who is QB1?
"Todd would feel a lot safer with Deshaun in that QB role."
– @HanfordDixon29 pic.twitter.com/bME02DOgBx
— The Top Dawgs Show (@TopDawgShow) April 4, 2026
Monken and the Browns are in an interesting spot as the 60-year-old starts his first season as one of the oldest first-time NFL head coaches in history. After waiting his entire career for the opportunity, and admitting that he left college to return to the league with the Baltimore Ravens three seasons ago in an attempt to get a job like this, he may not want to wait to see if Shedeur Sanders can develop into a serviceable NFL quarterback.
Monken knows that Watson has already been a legitimate Pro Bowl quarterback, even though that was a long time ago with the Houston Texans. The coach also knows that Watson has never had a season as statistically awful as Sanders did in seven starts during his rookie season.
However, no one really knows what Watson is still capable of. He hasn’t played in an NFL game since October 2024, and when he was last on the field, he inspired little confidence with his performance.
Monken could easily clear this up and end all of the speculation by simply naming someone as the leader going into offseason activities. If he is so concerned about how the other QB may react to that, maybe that person isn’t cut out to be the starter in the first place.
Until a clear decision is made, supporters of Watson and Sanders will continue to make the case for their candidate.
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