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One of Todd Monken’s main priorities as the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns is figuring out who will be his starting quarterback for Week 1.
Monken has three options to look at this season — Deshaun Watson, who wasn’t available all last season due to injury; Dillon Gabriel, the team’s third-round pick in 2025; and Shedeur Sanders, the Browns’ starter at the end of last season.
Monken hopes one of these quarterbacks can set themselves apart over time. But all eyes will be on Sanders, who started the final seven games of the 2025 season for the Browns, to emerge as the starter for Monken.
During the NFL Scouting Combine this week, Monken was asked about his quarterbacks, specifically whether he sees Sanders as the team’s starter.
“I think what you see is elite playmaking ability,” Monken said, according to the New York Post. “That’s in him. You’ve seen it, we’ve seen it. You saw it in college. You saw it on tape last year. Sure, there’s a ways to go, but what rookie isn’t? What first-year player doesn’t have a long way to go? I’m excited to get started with him and all of our quarterbacks and all of our players.”
Sanders went 3-4 over those seven starts, while Gabriel was 1-5 after taking over for Joe Flacco, who was traded to the division rival Cincinnati Bengals after an injury to starter Joe Burrow.
It’s worth noting the Baltimore Ravens, with Monken as offensive coordinator under former head coach John Harbaugh, wanted to draft Sanders to back up Lamar Jackson, the team’s two-time MVP quarterback. However, Sanders made it known he wished to go somewhere in the draft where he had a chance of being the team’s starter.
Sanders was never going to jump Jackson on the depth chart in 2025 and beyond, so the Browns eventually took him in the fifth round after a shocking fall down the draft board last April.
Watson is in the final year of what has been a disastrous $250 million, fully guaranteed contract for the former Houston Texans ace signal-caller. While playing in three Pro Bowls during his time in Houston, Watson has played just 17 games during his time in Cleveland, which included suspensions on top of his injuries.
Yet, Monken believes a player who has shown elite talent on the field, no matter when it was, deserves a shot.
“I think you are always going to give them the benefit of the doubt that somehow we might be able to get that out of them again,” Monken explained. “I think that’s how you should look at every player. I’m going to let it play out.”
In his 17 games with the Browns, Watson is 9-10, which includes a 1-6 mark in 2024 before an Achilles injury ended his season.
Sanders threw for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his seven starts for Cleveland last season. He was eventually named a Pro Bowl replacement.
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