BEREA, Ohio -- Cleveland Browns coach Todd Monken on Tuesday said he is unlikely to name a starting quarterback between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders at the conclusion of mandatory minicamp on Thursday.
"Once we get to the fall, we'll have to dissect the reps how we see fit," he said. "I just don't see it after the way Shedeur has played and Deshaun's played. They've both played well enough to earn the right to compete to start."
Watson and Sanders have split first-team practice reps throughout the offseason workout program. On Tuesday, the first of the three-day minicamp, Sanders received all of the starting reps in 11-on-11 drills, while Watson took reps with the second-team offense. Monken said Watson will handle first-team reps on Wednesday, and the two quarterbacks will split the starting reps on Thursday.
"I would have hoped [to name a starter], but I like both of them," Monken said. "I don't know what to say. It's really as simple as that. I like both of them, and we haven't had the pads on. That's the hard thing. As much as I'd love to make that decision, either by someone separating themselves upward or downward, either way, which has not occurred, and we haven't even gotten to practicing against an opponent, putting the pads on, having a controlled scrimmage or playing preseason games. ...
"I'm not there yet. That's the reality of it."
Monken, a first-year NFL head coach, has said throughout the offseason that he would ideally like to enter training camp with a defined depth chart and starting quarterback. However, last week he said that "every day, I kind of lean one way or the other" and added that he believes the Browns have "two starting-level quarterbacks."
