BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns wrapped up their 13th day of training camp on Wednesday and, following the practice session, made a decision on who would be the starting quarterback for the first preseason game this Saturday against the Chicago Bears on the road. Head coach Todd Monken decided to start Deshaun Watson.
Before practice, Monken said he had already made the choice but was going to wait to tell the quarterbacks in a meeting after practice.
Monken informed Watson that he would get the start in the first preseason game and that Sanders would come in for the third quarter.
While Watson will get the start this weekend, Sanders is slated to start next week in the preseason game against the Buffalo Bills at home.
"We're going to see both of them. One's going to start this week and one's going to start next week. And we're going to play about a similar—I'd like to see a quarterback play a half and get a two-minute. We're going to do everything we can to try and get a two-minute, right? Simulate that for the half and we're going to try to do the exact same thing the next week," Monken said before Wednesday's practice.
Monken aims to get a better look at both quarterbacks over the next two weeks, with a good chance to do that against real opponents.
"It's still a competition. We're still excited to watch guys practice today, let alone on Saturday and then next week against Buffalo. And we'll get a chance to see them both. And then every week we'll assess it," Monken said.
Here's what else we saw during Day 13 of training camp:
QB Competition
Here's a look at Shedeur Sanders during Day 13 of training camp:
A look at #Browns QB Shedeur Sanders during Day 13 of training camp. pic.twitter.com/gKaTMV9Xx1
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) August 12, 2026
Here's a look at Deshaun Watson during Day 13 of training camp:
A look at #Browns QB Deshaun Watson during Day 13 of training camp. pic.twitter.com/E4UKhXtdSj
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) August 12, 2026
Here's a look at Dillon Gabriel during Day 13 of training camp:
A look at #Browns QB Dillon Gabriel during Day 13 of training camp. pic.twitter.com/RbH4kbsp0R
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) August 12, 2026
Offense makes plays
#Browns QB Shedeur Sanders hits WR Isaiah Bond downfield during a situational drill in today's training camp practice. Bond makes the diving catch to get them into FG range. pic.twitter.com/5BP5mFFMaj
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) August 12, 2026
#Browns WR Gage Larvadain gets up for a nice snag on a pass from QB Deshaun Watson. pic.twitter.com/ze7mKIutbE
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) August 12, 2026
Blake Whiteheart, touchdown. #Browns pic.twitter.com/XWhPi1Mw0S
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) August 12, 2026
