Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson split first-team reps with Browns in OTAs

New head coach Shedeur Sanders liked what he saw from the quarterback entering his second NFL season with the Cleveland Browns.

Ever since Todd Monken took over as the Browns’ head coach, he has been peppered with questions about the quarterback depth chart; Kevin Stefanski also took on this task.

Sanders, whom the Browns took in the fifth round of last year’s NFL Draft, is often among those questions as both the media and fans wonder what awaits him after he wraps up the 2025 season as the team’s starting quarterback. But a new coach means new thinking about every position.

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But Monken spoke Wednesday about Sanders’ development, saying he’s seeing a player who’s already “come a long way.”

“I think Shedeur has come a long way in terms of his progression, his getting the ball out, his understanding of the concept. I think he’s come a really long way,” Monken told reporters. via ESPN.

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After the Browns started the season with Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel when Flacco was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals, Sanders finally got a chance against the Las Vegas Raiders. He earned his first start in the NFL, and Stefanski named him the starter for the remainder of the season.

But Sanders and Deshaun Watson, who is returning from injury heading into 2026, continued to split first-team reps during team practices at the Browns’ second OTA practice.

Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken looks on during a volunteer senior minicamp at the CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on April 21, 2026 in Berea, Ohio. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

Watson’s tenure in Cleveland has been the opposite of what the team hoped for in the trade, signing him to a big contract in 2022. That was a fully guaranteed $230 million over five years, but he tore his Achilles in October 2024 and didn’t play at all through 2025.

Back on the field, though, Monken said “Deshaun’s athleticism came through.”

“Of course he’s had that, but he’s had injuries that have set him back. I wouldn’t say it’s a surprise, but it’s exciting to see; that’s a weapon for him. That’s one of his superpowers, his athleticism.”

The Browns still have Gabriel and rookie Taylen Green on the depth chart in the preseason. However, it is clear that the rivalry will begin with the training camp prepared for July with Watson and Sanders.

Monken won’t rush to any conclusions about the position, but he does want to name a starter by the start of training camp.

Quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns watch from the sideline during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field on September 7, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)

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“You want him to be at every position by the end of the spring, but you can’t guarantee that,” Monken said.

Until then, Sanders and the rest of the Browns’ roster will try to impress their new coach.

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