This 'Elite' Shedeur Sanders Attribute Was Praised by Browns HC Ahead of QB Competition

Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken gave quarterback Shedeur Sanders a vote of confidence ahead of the upcoming QB1 competition in Ohio.

Monken told reporters Wednesday ahead of the 2026 NFL combine he feels Sanders can be an "elite" playmaker.

"I think what you see is elite playmaking ability. That's in him," Monken told reporters Wednesday. "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? So I'm excited to get started with him, and all of our quarterbacks."

Browns general manager Andrew Berry told reporters Tuesday that both Sanders and Deshaun Watson would be in the running to start under center in 2026.

Monken reiterated Wednesday that the Browns are considering Watson, who has not played since 2024 and has since suffered multiple right Achilles tears, as an option.

"When you have a player that at one time has exhibited the skillset at an elite level, I think you're always going to give them the benefit of the doubt that somehow we might be able to get that out of them again," Monken said about Watson. "And I think that's how you should look at every player."

Monken said he would ideally like to have settled on a starter before training camp in order to correctly prioritize first-team reps.

As of Wednesday, however, Monken said he still considered the Browns' QB1 battle to be an "open competition."

"I don't know why it wouldn't be an open competition," Monken said. "I don't mean to say it harshly, but I don't think there's enough on film over the last couple of years, one way or the other, to say we have a starting quarterback yet."

The Browns are going into 2026 with both Dillon Gabriel, who made six starts during his rookie season, and Sanders, who finished out the campaign with seven straight starts, under contract.

Cleveland is also currently to spend $80 million, or more than 26 percent of the 2026 cap, to pay out the final year of Watson's contract, per Spotrac.

The Browns could restructure that contract, as they did before the 2025 season, in order to lower Watson's cap hit.

That would result in significantly less damage to the Browns' cap than cutting Watson, which would cost $131 million in dead cap before June 1 and more than $80 million as a post-June 1 cut, per Over the Cap.

It is not yet clear if Watson will be ready to play by the time training camp starts this spring. The quarterback underwent surgery on his re-ruptured Achilles tendon in January, and ESPN's Adam Schefter reported at the time he was facing an estimated recovery timeline of at least seven months.

With Watson still rehabbing his injury, the Browns could potentially decide to add a quarterback either through the 2026 NFL draft or via free agency ahead of training camp.

For now, the quarterback uncertainty in Cleveland leaves open the possibility that Monken could decide to turn to Sanders as his Week 1 starter this fall.