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Cleveland Browns’ Shedeur Sanders speaks to the media during an NFL football training camp, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, in Berea, Ohio.<\/p>\n
Sue Ogrocki\/AP Photo\/Sue Ogrocki<\/p>\n
Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken speaks to the media during an NFL football training camp, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, in Berea, Ohio.<\/p>\n
Sue Ogrocki\/AP Photo\/Sue Ogrocki<\/p>\n
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) talks with the media during an NFL football training camp, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, in Berea, Ohio.<\/p>\n
Sue Ogrocki\/AP Photo\/Sue Ogrocki<\/p>\n
Cleveland Browns wide receiver KC Concepcion (1) arrives with mascot Chomps during an NFL football training camp, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, in Berea, Ohio.<\/p>\n
Sue Ogrocki\/AP Photo\/Sue Ogrocki<\/p>\n
BEREA, Ohio (AP) \u2014 Shedeur Sanders knows he is battling for the Cleveland Browns\u2019 starting quarterback job with Deshaun Watson.<\/p>\n
However, he does not want to discuss how it is going.<\/p>\n
\u201cI answered this question a thousand times. We focus on ourselves and what we do and what we need to do to get better every day. So that\u2019s just something y\u2019all think about, and y\u2019all care about,\u201d said Sanders on Saturday when asked if he is viewing each practice as a battle between him and Watson.<\/p>\n
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The competition for QB1 is not expected to be settled until at least after the second exhibition game against the Buffalo Bills on Aug. 22. Coach Todd Monken said both are doing fine, though evaluations will not ramp up until the offense is fully installed.<\/p>\n
Saturday marked the halfway point of eight days of installations. The Browns will be off Sunday before six straight days of practice, including the first day in pads on Monday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think you\u2019re really going to know until you get through all the installs because we\u2019re not game planning against our defense,\u201d Monken said. \u201cOne day you go with the ones, the other day you go with the twos. Certainly that matchup\u2019s going to be different in terms of who you\u2019re going against. I think the most important thing is from a process standpoint: how are we operating at the line of scrimmage? Where are their eyes? Are they taking command of one, the huddle, and then cadence and then understanding the concepts? All of our players are working through mistakes and fighting like hell to get better.\u201d<\/p>\n
After being buried on the depth chart during last year\u2019s training camp, Sanders is splitting snaps with Watson on the first team, alternating days. One day, Watson throws to veterans Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman; the next, to rookies KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston.<\/p>\n
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Watson said it can be difficult switching between different units because it is hard to build a rhythm, but it is the quarterback\u2019s job to adapt.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to be a leader out there, and you\u2019ve got to bring everybody to that standard, and you all have to play that way,\u201d he said. \u201cSo regardless of what group you\u2019re in or who you\u2019re in there with, you\u2019ve got to make sure you execute at a high level. It\u2019s definitely challenging, but at the same time, you can\u2019t make that an excuse.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sanders noted he has improved most in recognizing things pre-snap and post-snap, and feels more consistent in his approach.<\/p>\n
After falling to the fifth round and 144th pick in the 2025 draft, Sanders started the final seven games of his rookie season, going 3-4 with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s definitely improved; he\u2019s grown a lot. You can see it within his fundamentals, his reads, being able to execute, call the plays,\u201d Watson said about Sanders. \u201cYou can tell he\u2019s a lot more comfortable, and that he\u2019s been putting in the work to be able to be where he is right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Watson is looking forward to playing in the preseason games, which begin on Aug. 15 at Chicago. He has played in only 19 games since being acquired by the Browns from the Houston Texans in 2022 for three first-round picks.<\/p>\n
In 2022, Watson missed the first 11 games because of a league suspension resulting from his alleged sexual misconduct during massage therapy sessions. He made six starts in 2023 before a season-ending shoulder injury and started seven in 2024 before the first of two Achilles tendon injuries.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve just got to continue to build that football shape. I think that\u2019s the biggest thing I\u2019m working on through this process each day, just trying to build that endurance because it\u2019s been a while since I\u2019ve really been on the field with 11-on-11,\u201d said Watson, who is 9-10 with the Browns with 19 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions and an 80.7 passer rating. \u201cI feel very comfortable, very strong, fluent. Now it\u2019s just building trust within the receivers, because everyone runs different routes and we have different types of guys.\u201d<\/p>\n
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