The Cleveland Browns quarterback competition has been picked apart from every angle throughout training camp, but Todd Monken offered a look into how he is actually weighing the decision between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders. Rather than leaning on the final preseason box score, which showed Buffalo running away with a 31- 7 win, Monken pointed to an earlier joint practice session as carrying far more significance.
Tony Grossi detailed exactly what Monken valued most from that stretch of practices.
“Monken said he puts a lot more stock into the joint practice with the Bills than the game on Saturday when weighing his quarterback decision. Watson had one of his best days at practice against the Bills on Thursday, prompting Monken to walk off the field feeling like the Browns belonged with the perennial AFC playoff contender. Their backups didn’t look they belonged after the 31 7 Buffalo win,” Grossi wrote.
Watson reportedly turning in one of his sharpest performances of camp during that Thursday session against Buffalo’s first-team defense stands out, given his rough outing during Saturday’s actual game, when backups and lower-tier competition largely took over after the starters were pulled.
The larger point Monken seems to be making is that a preseason game filled with backups and reserves carries less weight than a competitive practice period against a team’s actual starters.
With Monken expected to name his starter Monday, this gives Browns fans a clearer sense of the internal logic that will shape the decision. Whether Watson’s strong joint practice performance is enough to outweigh both his rocky preseason finale and the ongoing questions about his relationship with the home crowd will become clear soon enough.
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