The Cleveland Browns quarterback competition has taken over the headlines in Cleveland this summer with fans clamoring for new head coach Todd Monken to finally make a decision. All signs were pointing to Deshaun Watson winning the job, but after Shedeur Sanders reportedly looked great in OTAs, Monken is understandably taking more time to come to a conclusion.
Last year’s QB battle went nearly all the way up until Week 1 and blew up catastrophically as the Browns were never able to gain any legitimate traction throughout the regular season. At least this time around there are only two options, and both of them are likely to see time at some point because counting on Watson to make 17 starts after making 19 starts since 2020 is unreasonable.
During a recent discussion on ESPN Cleveland, Tony Grossi said he believes a decision will come after the first preseason game.
“I think one preseason game, and then I think he’ll announce it,” said Grossi.
“I think one preseason game and then I think he’ll announce it,” – @TonyGrossi on the timing of when Todd Monken will announce a QB1. pic.twitter.com/UP2exhIS9a
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) July 22, 2026
Grossi said he’d like to see a lot of playing time from the starters in the first and third games of the preseason, which is a fairly common trajectory for how a team goes through the preseason. There are a lot of new faces in the facility who need reps in order to get used to one another, so it would be beneficial for the Browns to give their guys more game action than some other teams might.
Grossi ultimately believes Watson will be the starter, but he is also sick of the narrative that Sanders is a victim and hasn’t been given a big enough opportunity. Him taking more time to develop, especially in a new offense, wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. He was a fifth-round pick for a reason and there is no rush to throw him into the fire again if he isn’t fully ready.
The fans are more than ready to not have to go through this anymore, as it’s becoming a yearly thing in Cleveland. For the Browns to elevate to contender status and stay there year after year, they can’t be having a quarterback competition every offseason. Hopefully, this is the last one.
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