The Browns’ Quarterback Situation Isn’t Working: Here’s How We Know

With training camp just around the corner, Cleveland is apparently no closer to finding out who their starting quarterback will be.

Jun 9, 2026; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterbacks Deshaun Watson (4) and Shedeur Sanders (2) throw the ball during mandatory mini camp at Cross Country Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Browns’ expectations for the most important position on the field were understandably set very high back in late January, when noted 'quarterback whisperer' Todd Monken was hired as the team’s new head coach. 

Fast forward to the summer, and the Browns’ situation at quarterback is muddier than ever. Monken announced an open competition between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson on arrival and, as we approach training camp, we're no closer to finding out who will start for Cleveland in Week 1 of the regular season. 

So, how do we know the Browns’ quarterback situation isn’t working? It’s pretty obvious:

Trust Todd Monken

Mandatory minicamp wasn’t even over when coach Monken realized he was in no shape to announce a definitive starter yet, earlier this month. 

“As much as I’d love to have made that decision either by someone separating themselves upward or downward either way -- which has not occurred... I would have loved to do it. I was being honest. I think you’d love to have the starter named. I just can’t do it,” he said.

#Browns Todd Monken says he won’t name a QB1 coming out of minicamp: “I’m not there yet” pic.twitter.com/56BNClK5ta

— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) June 9, 2026

If there’s one thing that’s been refreshing about Monken is his forwardness, and the fact that he’s the one stating that there's been no tangible separation between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson at this point is concerning. Whoever ends up as the starter will enter Week 1 without a full workload of practice reps from training camp, as the competition keeps dragging on.

Why go back in time?

Watson’s last good football was a Pro Bowl season in 2020, while playing in Houston. Since then he’s missed two entire seasons, been suspended for the majority of a third, and when he’s had the chance to play he’s come up under .500 as the Browns’ starter in a whopping 19 starts. 

Is Watson really going to magically recapture his form from six years ago? It’s perfectly valid to question Sanders as the team’s long term answer, even if he was the only one of the three starting quarterbacks from last year capable of winning more than just one contest. 

However, if Sanders is such a clearly bad option, why isn’t Watson blowing him out of the water in this competition? 

Where’s the "super computer"?

Giving up on a fifth-rounder after just one season isn’t that extraordinary in the NFL; happens all the time. Giving up on a third-rounder so fast is much rarer. 

Dillon Gabriel was supposed to be the team’s future at quarterback, yet Monken has deliberately failed to mention him or his possibilities as part of the open competition. The “supercomputer” found itself outdated extremely quickly in Cleveland. 

Is gambling on a gambler worth it?

The NFL has already shut down the possibility of Brenden Sorsby going through a supplemental draft after admitting to waging more than $90,000 on football games, including a ton of bets made on his own team. 

Yet general manager Andrew Berry failed to discard Sorsby as an option when asked point blank about the Browns’ interest in the embattled quarterback, seemingly keeping the door open for a potential supplemental pick. All this after Monken publicly stated he was against the idea of bringing Sorsby into the mix, describing his situation as a “slippery slope.”

Just the fact that as a GM you’re thinking about adding a new passer -- with that kind of baggage -- into your quarterback room so late in the offseason tells you all you need to know about the state of the open competition.

We can’t know for sure how serious Berry’s interest in Sorsby might've been before the NFL pulled the plug on the whole matter, but it didn’t bode well for the Browns.

Is a trade on the horizon?

A recent report making the rounds lately states the Browns are fielding calls from clubs interested in Sanders. While there could've been some interest in the franchise dealing the second-year passer in case they got their hands on Sorsby, I’m not sure it makes much sense now.

Why? Because it would essentially mean handing the starting gig straight to Watson despite his already stated inability to actually win an open competition against Sanders -- using Monken’s own words. 

If this is truly a possibility, why not just go ahead and name him the starter now? This regime doesn’t trust Sanders enough to bet on him as the future of the franchise, and that’s fine. But the club is doing a disservice to every other player on the roster by prolonging an uncertain situation more than it should be. 

The 2026 Browns are, so far, the embodiment of John Madden’s famous “If you've got two quarterbacks, you have none" quote.