RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. The Cleveland Browns have a new head coach heading into this season in former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, and he's currently deciding which of two quarterbacks will be the team's starter.
On Monday, the QB competition between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson continued, with Monken answering multiple questions about the situation during his press conference. That included Monken firing back at a reporter who asked for clarification of a previous comment.
"Did you say Deshaun is better than Shedeur, or did you say Deshaun has gotten better?" The News-Herald's Jeff Schudel asked about a previous question another reporter had asked.
"Oh, I don't think I said he's better than Shedeur. I'm not sure I went that far, but I appreciate you trying to trap me in that [expletive]," Monken responded .
He then went back into an explanation of what he meant with his previous comment during the media session.
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"I would just say in general that they've all gotten better, and you've seen it. You guys are out there. You don't see the tape. That doesn't mean you see it, right? Did we look better? Yes. Were there a lot of reasons for that? Yes," he told reporters.
"I thought both played very well. After the first series that Deshaun went, hell, Shedeur went in ... and ripped three or four throws and was confident, had a good base underneath him, got the ball out. Like, it was fun to watch irrespective of the defense. Just the decision-making," Monken said.
"So, no, I wasn't saying he was better. Each of them are better at certain things than the other," he explained.
Sanders, a fifth-round pick by the Browns in last year's draft, became the team's starting quarterback for seven games at the end of last season, replacing the Browns' previous starter, Dillon Gabriel. He achieved a 3-4 record in those starts. Across eight games, threw for 1,400 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
Meanwhile, veteran quarterback Watson had been waiting in the wings while recovering from injury. Now that he's back and healthy, he's been part of a competition for the starting job, with Monken and his staff evaluating which QB will make more sense for the starting job.
Watson is a three-time Pro Bowl selection who spent the first six seasons of his career with the Houston Texans. In his first three seasons with the Browns, he never started more than half the season's games, and last year he was out for the full season while recovering from surgery for his re-ruptured right Achilles tendon.
While Monken indicated both Watson and Sanders would start a preseason game to rotate them, he said it won't be until after those two games that he has a better idea of who becomes the regular-season starter.
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