Shedeur Sanders Sees New Vibe in First Practice Under Browns Coach Todd Monken
Second-year quarterback splits starting reps with Deshaun Watson in voluntary minicamp, embraces new staff
Quick Look
- Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders described a new vibe and energy under first-year coach Todd Monken during the team's voluntary veteran minicamp in Berea, Ohio.
- Sanders, the 144th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft who started seven games last season, is competing with Deshaun Watson and rookie Dillon Gabriel for the starting job.
- Monken gave Sanders most of the first-team reps in Tuesday's practice, a significant change from last year when he was fourth on the depth chart under former coach Kevin Stefanski.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Shedeur Sanders emerged as a starter for the Browns late in the 2025 season after being drafted in the fifth round. He went 3-4 as a starter including wins against division rivals Steelers and Bengals. The Browns fired Kevin Stefanski after a 5-12 season and hired Todd Monken from Baltimore.
BEREA, Ohio -- After the first practice of the Cleveland Browns' three-day voluntary veteran minicamp, quarterback Shedeur Sanders said there is a "new vibe" and "new energy" with first-year coach Todd Monken and his staff. And perhaps for good reason. One year after Sanders was fourth in line in Cleveland's quarterback competition under former head coach Kevin Stefanski, Sanders was back in the No. 2 jersey he has worn throughout his football career (after wearing No. 12 last season) and first up for team drills Tuesday, splitting starting reps with Deshaun Watson.
"Coach Monken's great and all the other coaches on the staff are extremely great," Sanders said Tuesday. "They're going to understand and embrace you just as a person, and then they push you each and every day in the meeting room, on the field, in the weight room. It's a new vibe, a new energy."
Sanders, the 144th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, started the final seven games of the season for the Browns, who finished 5-12. Sanders was 3-4 as a starter and helped lead Cleveland to victories against the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals in the final two games of the season. He now finds himself in a quarterback competition with Watson, who did not play in 2025 as he rehabbed from his 2024 Achilles tear, and Dillon Gabriel, a 2025 third-round pick who started six games as a rookie.
Monken said the plan Tuesday was to get Sanders most of the practice reps in the team drills but divvy up opportunities for all of the team's quarterbacks. Monken reiterated that the quarterback reps can change from day to day.
"I thought they were in command. I never felt at one time like they were lost," Monken said.
Sanders spent much of the offseason working out in Cleveland and met Monken, who was the Baltimore Ravens' offensive coordinator for the past three seasons, in the Browns' facility on his first day as head coach. Monken embraced the second-year quarterback with a hug and ribbed Sanders about trying to draft him while in Baltimore. The relationship has continued to burgeon, with Sanders recently gifting Monken a horse head for his birthday.
"I think Coach just spoke life into me," Sanders said of Monken. "And then when you do that, you just get the best result for me, honestly."
Open Questions
- Who will win the starting quarterback job?
- How will Deshaun Watson perform after his Achilles injury?
- Will the new coaching staff improve the team's record?
