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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The Cleveland Browns' ongoing quarterback competition between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson has been one of the biggest storylines in the NFL for months.
Head coach Todd Monken has kept his cards close to the vest all offseason, insisting the two still need to battle it out and prove who deserves to be the Week 1 starter.
Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Monken maintained that stance while putting pressure on both quarterbacks to go out and take the job.
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"Nothing's really changed," Monken said. "Obviously, we will alternate just like we did in the spring. Deshaun and Shedeur with the ones ... Ultimately, I'm not going to decide who the starter is. They decide by their play. Their play decides who the starter is."
"I don't have any preconceived notions of how they played in the past or how they're going to play. I only can, with my eyes, judge, and guys got to play well around them," he added. "I think we've shored up some things up front. We've added some weapons on the perimeter. So I think that's going to help, but they'll decide who plays. I don't decide who plays; the players decide who plays."
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Watson is 30 years old and hasn't played an NFL game since October 2024, as he's spent the time since rehabbing from two torn Achilles tendons. But the franchise invested heavily in him, signing him to a five-year, fully guaranteed $230 million contract in 2022. He remains one of the highest-paid players in the league.
Sanders, meanwhile, starred at Colorado before sliding to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft due to concerns over his pre-draft process, film evaluations, and the intense spotlight of being the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders. He showed obvious growing pains as a rookie last year as well.
The Browns also have last year's third-round pick Dillon Gabriel and selected Arkansas' Taylen Green in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. But the battle for QB1 is clearly between Sanders and Watson.
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With so much money invested in him, and him being the veteran quarterback in the room, Watson will likely be the starter by Week 1. But Sanders has all of training camp and the preseason to change that — and if Watson falters, the job becomes Sanders' to lose.
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