Todd Monken insists Browns QB competition stays open as first-team reps keep flowing

The Cleveland Browns remain in the middle of an open quarterback competition as they move toward this week’s preseason opener, and coach Todd Monken is drawing a bright line between how reps are distributed and what the organization has decided. In a Monday press conference, Monken said the process is still being treated as a competition, not a finished decision, despite a notable tweak to Saturday’s practice.

According to Yahoo Sports, the Browns had indicated that Shedeur Sanders would receive first-team work with the unit during Saturday’s session. Instead, the practice veered off that plan when Deshaun Watson was given the first-team reps early in practice. The change raised the question of whether the Browns were quietly leaning toward a clearer depth chart, but Monken’s message was that nothing has changed.

Monken’s framing centered on an operational reality for camp: quarterbacks are still going to receive first-team and supporting-work opportunities, and shared reps are part of evaluating how each report-caller handles the same game-like situations. The key takeaway from his remarks was not that the starter has been identified, but that the competition itself remains the governing premise of camp reps.

For the Browns, the preseason is more than a dress rehearsal. It is the stage where coaching staffs sort out timing with receivers, command of protection schemes, and how quarterbacks respond to defensive looks that move beyond what teams would show in earlier camp work. Even when the outcome seems close, staffs often want multiple assessments across practices, team periods, and situational scripting before making a final call.

Sanders’ presence as a central figure in the quarterback conversation adds urgency to the evaluation, particularly because first-team reps are limited and highly valued in a compressed preseason window. If the Browns had been preparing to showcase one quarterback with the same unit for an extended stretch, Saturday’s change would stand out. Monken’s response was designed to prevent that standout moment from turning into a premature conclusion.

Watson’s early first-team work also illustrates how camp plans can shift based on what coaches see moment to moment. The Browns did not present the Saturday change as a replacement of the competition, and Monken reinforced that the competition is still open, meaning the depth-chart storyline is not officially locked in. In practical terms, the quarterback who gets the most first-team snaps over the next few days is not guaranteed to be the starter by the time Cleveland takes the field in its opener, but it will be a meaningful data point.

The next test for the competition comes with the preseason game itself, where the Browns will need to balance playing-time priorities with the evaluation goals. What to watch is whether Monken’s approach carries into the game plan, specifically how the first-team offense is distributed, how quickly each quarterback establishes rhythm, and whether the coaching staff’s in-practice flexibility is reflected in the way the team handles game situations. As of Monday’s comments, Cleveland’s quarterback picture remains unresolved, and the preseason opener is the next major checkpoint.