NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
One of Todd Monken’s top priorities as the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns is figuring out who his starting quarterback will be for Week 1.
Monken has three options to consider this season: Deshaun Watson, who was unavailable all of last season due to injury; Dillon Gabriel, the team’s third-round pick in 2025; and Shedeur Sanders, the Browns’ starter at the end of last season.
Monken hopes one of these quarterbacks can differentiate himself over time. But all eyes will be on Sanders, who started the final seven games of the 2025 season for the Browns, to emerge as Monken’s starter.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
Todd Monken speaks with the media after being introduced as head coach of the Cleveland Browns during a press conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026, in Berea, Ohio. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
During this week’s NFL Scouting Combine, Monken was asked about his quarterbacks, specifically if he sees Sanders as the team’s starter.
“I think what you see is elite playmaking ability,” Monken said, according to the New York Post. “That’s in him. You’ve seen it, we’ve seen it. You saw it in college. You saw it on tape last year. Sure, there’s a long way to go, but what rookie isn’t? What first-year player doesn’t have a long way to go? I’m excited to get started with him and all of our quarterbacks and all of our players.”
Sanders was 3-4 in those seven starts, while Gabriel was 1-5 after replacing Joe Flacco, who was traded to the division rival Cincinnati Bengals after an injury to starter Joe Burrow.
It’s worth noting that the Baltimore Ravens, with Monken as offensive coordinator under former head coach John Harbaugh, wanted to recruit Sanders to back up Lamar Jackson, the team’s two-time MVP quarterback. However, Sanders made it known that he wanted to go somewhere in the draft where he would have a chance to be the team’s starter.
Todd Monken speaks with the media after being introduced as head coach of the Cleveland Browns during a press conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026, in Berea, Ohio. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
Sanders was never going to pass Jackson on the depth chart in 2025 and beyond, so the Browns ultimately took him in the fifth round after a shocking drop down the draft board last April.
Watson is in the final year of what has been a disastrous $250 million fully guaranteed contract for the former Houston Texans ace. While he played in three Pro Bowls during his time in Houston, Watson played in just 17 games during his time in Cleveland, which included suspensions in addition to his injuries.
However, Monken believes that a player who has shown elite talent on the field, no matter when it was, deserves a chance.
“I think we’re always going to give them the benefit of the doubt that somehow we can get that out of them again,” Monken explained. “I think that’s how you should look at every player. I’m going to let it be that way.”
Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns stands for the national anthem before a preseason game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on August 8, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Logan Bowles/Getty Images)
In his 17 games with the Browns, Watson is 9-10, including a 1-6 mark in 2024 before an Achilles injury ended his season.
Sanders threw for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his seven starts with Cleveland last season. He was eventually named a Pro Bowl replacement.
Related article
