Todd Monken isn't handing this competition to whoever throws the prettiest deep ball. Through seven camp practices, the Browns have kept both Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders locked into pre-snap and post-snap fundamentals, grinding through cadences, audibles and reads before either guy gets to just sling it. By the third practice alone, Monken had already installed 10 different cadences. That's not glamorous training camp footage, but it's exactly the kind of detail work that decides who's starting Week 1 in Cleveland.
The early returns are messier than either side wants. Watson, still working back from two Achilles surgeries in 2025, opened camp ice-cold with 6 interceptions in his first handful of sessions before rebounding with his best practice yet, including multiple red-zone touchdowns. Monken waved off the turnovers as growing pains, which is coach-speak for "we know he's rusty, relax." Sanders, meanwhile, is getting real praise for once. Monken said he's been "highly impressed" with the second-year passer's operation and mechanics, and Sanders himself admitted he spent the offseason specifically fixing his pre- and post-snap recognition after a rookie year that exposed exactly that weakness.
That rookie year was rough. Sanders finished dead last among qualifying quarterbacks in on-target percentage at 63.7% and completion rate at 56.6%, tossing 7 touchdowns against 10 interceptions in limited action. He did flash once, dropping 34.5 fantasy points in a Week 14 outburst against Tennessee that briefly made him relevant in redraft leagues. But one huge week doesn't erase a season of inconsistency, and it's part of why he slid to the fifth round of the 2025 draft in the first place.
Here's the structure worth knowing: both quarterbacks are alternating first-team reps, and per multiple camp reports Watson has taken the starter's role on days one and three while Sanders has had it on days two and four. Nobody's been named the guy. Monken has been blunt that he won't have real clarity until the entire install is finished, which wraps this week, after which the staff will start tailoring the playbook to whichever quarterback's strengths fit best. Both are expected to start one of the first two preseason games, with an August 15 exhibition against Chicago looming as an early proving ground, and the битва reportedly won't get settled until after the August 22 game against Buffalo.
For fantasy purposes, this is a bench-and-wait situation, not a draft-day investment. Watson still carries the higher ceiling if healthy given his arm talent and rushing juice, but two Achilles procedures and a documented rusty start are real red flags for anyone drafting him as a QB2 streamer. Sanders is the more interesting name for shallow-bench dynasty stashes, but even RotoWire's read on him is stark: a fifth-round pedigree suggests the league views him as a likely backup, and his arm strength and mobility haven't popped in camp the way scouts hoped given his bloodlines. Neither guy is currently worth a start in single-QB formats, and in superflex, this remains a wait-and-see add rather than a priority stash.
It's also worth remembering Cleveland's QB room is deeper than the headline names. Dillon Gabriel and sixth-round rookie Taylen Green are both in the mix for roster spots, and if Watson's recovery hits any bump, Sanders isn't guaranteed to be next in line ahead of them. That crowded depth chart is exactly why fantasy managers shouldn't reach for anyone on this roster in redraft before the preseason games actually settle the pecking order.
On the betting side, this uncertainty is why Cleveland's win total has stayed unglamorous and why neither quarterback shows up meaningfully in any award or stat-leader markets right now. Books hate ambiguity at the position that matters most, and until Monken commits to a starter, expect the Browns' season-win number and any Watson or Sanders props to stay muted. The smart move for bettors and fantasy drafters alike is the same: watch the preseason reps against Chicago and Buffalo before putting real money or a roster spot on either arm.
The install finishes this week, which means the next stretch of camp is when this actually gets decided. Watch for who takes the bulk of first-team reps once Cleveland starts tailoring packages to a specific quarterback's strengths — that shift, more than anything said in a press conference, will tell you who Monken trusts.