Everything Todd Monken Said About Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson and Browns' QB1 Battle

Head coach Todd Monken spoke on the quarterback play of both Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson following Saturday's 31-7 preseason loss against the Buffalo Bills, though he didn't offer a timeline for naming a starter.

He did say, however, that he was impressed with Sanders' improvement at getting the ball out faster and overall was proud of the development the second-year quarterback made made:

He also said he was proud of how Watson has worked this summer and addressed the fans booing him after a rough overall performance on Saturday:

Sanders started the game and was solid if unspectacular, finishing 9-of-11 for 74 yards with a touchdown, interception and sack taken. The interception wasn't great, however, as he threw behind his receiver on a short slant and the ball deflected into the air.

Watson was awful, meanwhile, finishing 5-of-12 for 36 yards and an interception. The pick came on a rough overthrow.

At this point, the Browns don't seem to have a great option. Sanders threw 10 interceptions and took 23 sacks in eight appearances last season, and already has a pair of picks during the preseason.

Watson hasn't looked like a viable starter since his Houston days, though he did look much better in the first preseason game (11-of-15 for 126 yards).

In the long term, starting Sanders and deciding whether he could be a viable starter going forward probably makes the most sense. The Browns have a pair of first round picks in 2027 in a draft that is expected to be deeper at quarterback than 2026, giving them flexibility to move up the board if needed. That essentially means Sanders has a one-year window left to prove he could be the guy.

Monken, on the other hand, is a first-year head coach and is plenty incentivized to prove he can win in the short term. If Watson was clearly winning this quarterback battle, that would mean rolling with him to start the season. But Watson has hardly removed any doubt, leaving Monken with a very interesting decision to ponder.