Browns coach delays naming starting QB after minicamp

The Cleveland Browns will not name a starting quarterback before the team breaks for the summer, ensuring a high-profile competition between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders will extend into training camp. Head coach Todd Monken made the decision clear following a mandatory minicamp practice on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.

Monken, in his first year as head coach, stated he is not ready to designate a starter despite previously expressing a desire to have a defined depth chart by the start of camp. "I'm not going to name a No. 1," Monken said. "Chances are, I will not. I just don't see it after the way Shedeur's played and the way Deshaun's played. They've both played well enough to earn the right to compete to start." He added that the distribution of practice reps will be evaluated more closely in the fall.

Both quarterbacks have been splitting first-team repetitions during organized team activities and this week's minicamp. On Tuesday, Sanders took all the starting reps in 11-on-11 drills, while Watson is scheduled to work with the top unit on Wednesday before the two split the reps on Thursday, the final day of minicamp.

Monken praised the progression of both players, noting they...