Browns coach Todd Monken outlines preseason plan to settle QB order, with Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders in the mix

The Cleveland Browns are still working through a quarterback question heading into 2026, and coach Todd Monken is indicating a structured approach to the ongoing battle between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders. Rather than settling the depth chart behind closed doors, Monken laid out a preseason framework intended to evaluate the quarterbacks in real-game situations and then make a decision on who will start the third preseason game.

According to Monken’s plan, he wants each of the quarterbacks in the competition to take the field as a starter for one preseason contest. After those first two quarterback starts, the coaching staff would then determine which report-caller gets the nod for the third preseason game, a step that typically carries extra weight for the staff’s final evaluation heading into the regular season.

The Browns’ patience for clarity is not new. CBS Sports noted that over the previous 10 seasons, from 2016 through 2025, 19 different quarterbacks have started at least one regular-season game for Cleveland. That history is a key part of why the competition remains a central storyline, because the Browns have repeatedly had to adjust to different quarterback combinations rather than locking in one long-term option.

Watson and Sanders represent two contrasting paths within the same competitive exercise. Watson is positioned as a veteran presence in the Browns’ quarterback room, while Sanders is part of the Browns’ broader push to identify a longer-range answer at the position. With both names tied to the team’s QB race in the same preseason planning window, Cleveland is essentially using the exhibition slate to separate who can run the offense most cleanly and consistently under game conditions.

Monken’s decision-making timeline is designed to reduce ambiguity as the preseason progresses. By using a planned rotation of quarterback starts, the Browns can compare how each quarterback handles the same general rhythm of preparation, snap usage, and in-game adjustments. The third preseason starter role, in particular, offers a clearer report of the staff’s direction, since it usually comes later in the evaluation cycle.

The practical takeaway is that Cleveland’s quarterback order is still fluid, even with a defined preseason process. If the Browns’ staff follows through on the plan as described, the third preseason game will function as the most immediate indicator of who is being prioritized as the starter. Beyond that, the Browns will still need to translate preseason decisions into regular-season execution, where the opponent quality, game pace, and situational demands can magnify differences between quarterbacks quickly.

For fans and roster observers, the competition’s next checkpoint is straightforward: monitor how Monken executes the one-start-per-quarterback approach in the early preseason contests and then who earns the third-start designation. Until that happens and the starter role is clarified, Cleveland’s offensive identity at the quarterback position will remain a moving target.