Todd Monken won’t name a Browns QB yet, keeping the Shedeur Sanders-Deshaun Watson competition open

The Cleveland Browns’ quarterback competition is still unresolved, and head coach Todd Monken is effectively telling the team and fans to expect that uncertainty to last at least into July. Monken, entering his first season with Cleveland, said he cannot make a clear choice yet between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson, adding that he is not “there yet” after watching both quarterbacks work during the offseason program.

Monken’s comments center on timing. He was asked whether he would be able to settle on a starting quarterback before the Browns’ mandatory minicamp ends June 11, and his answer suggested that process will not be finished before then. According to reporting from USA Today, Monken acknowledged that “chances are” the Sanders-versus-Watson battle will continue beyond minicamp rather than turning into a one-man race by the end of organized team activities.

What Monken will not say is that one quarterback has taken control of the job. In describing what he has seen so far, Monken pointed to the quality of both quarterbacks’ play. As USA Today reported, Monken said he doesn’t view the two as merely competing for reps, but rather as players who have earned the right to continue fighting to start because they have performed well enough in practice.

The Browns’ approach in the spring and early June has supported that stance. Per USA Today’s account, the team ran a structured rotation that changed day to day. On June 9, Sanders received first-team reps while Watson worked exclusively with the second unit, and Monken indicated the quarterback rotation would shift again the next day, consistent with how Cleveland has handled the evaluation process.

Both quarterbacks have been getting opportunities to shape the same basic question for Monken’s offense: who can command it consistently and make the right decisions at game speed. For a first-year coach, quarterback clarity is usually a foundation, because it affects how the offense installs concepts, how the team plans the week’s practice reps, and how the organization defines execution standards. Cleveland’s refusal to pick yet does not necessarily mean indecision about talent, but it does mean Monken is prioritizing a fuller look before he commits to an internal “starter” framework.

The practical impact is that the Browns will likely carry a quarterback competition storyline into training camp, when the evaluation typically sharpens. Pads and full-speed work usually separate rhythm and timing issues from truly repeatable mechanics and reading progressions. Monken said he expects to make more progress once camp begins, which effectively places the most meaningful sorting in the early weeks of training camp rather than in the final stretch of minicamp.

For now, the team’s fans get a simple message: Cleveland is not ready to declare a winner. The question is what changes Monken will demand in camp, because as long as the coaching staff believes both quarterbacks are competing at a starting level, the decision can remain fluid. The next step to watch is how the rep distribution evolves once camp practices begin, and whether either Sanders or Watson begins to control the majority of first-team moments in a way the staff can no longer justify as “evaluation.”