The Cleveland Browns maintain that their quarterback competition between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders does not have a winner yet. Based on head coach Todd Monken’s forthright approach to the media, it is probably safe to take him at his word.
Because if the Browns have already decided on their starting QB for 2026, they are pretty good at keeping it a secret. Players have not leaked what they may have been told, even though they likely have a very good idea by what they see in practice.
FOX Sports host Colin Cowherd recently asked Verse about where the competition stands, and the defensive lineman hinted that he knows who the Browns’ QB will be.
“I personally will say I don’t know who it’s gonna be. I think I have a vibe of who will go out there,” Verse said.
“I think I have a vibe of who will go out there,” – Jared Verse on the Browns QB1.
Do you think the Browns should start Shedeur Sanders or Deshaun Watson? pic.twitter.com/336NNdlE34
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 21, 2026
Asked if the potential quarterback was “young,” Verse laughed and said he would not answer that question. So it seems, at least for now, that Monken has been able to keep everyone, including the Browns’ defensive players, on the same page regarding the QB battle.
That has not stopped analysts from declaring Watson the winner over and over again. The 30-year-old veteran looked to take an early lead over 24-year-old Sanders at the Browns’ first minicamp, and he has rarely been in danger of giving up that advantage, except for possibly a few practices early in training camp when his interceptions became an issue.
There are many theories about who should get the job and why. Those who support Watson say it is because the Browns have paid him so much money that they need to get some kind of return on that investment, while his NFL experience gives them the best chance to win games this season.
On the other side, those who back Sanders believe that starting him is in the best interest of the franchise. The Browns can take an entire season to evaluate him before potentially looking for a QB for the future in the 2027 NFL Draft.
Either way, it might be difficult to keep the word from getting out once Monken makes his decision known, likely to Watson and Sanders first, and then the rest of the team, before revealing it to the media.
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