Todd Monken still would not name a Browns starting quarterback after Saturday’s 31-7 loss to Buffalo, keeping the job open after both Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson were on the field in the same game. With Cleveland heading toward Thursday, the most important question remains unanswered.
That is why Deshaun Watson stats are being searched now: he made his first appearance in Cleveland since his 2024 season-ending injury, and the night was hard to miss. Watson completed five of 12 passes for 36 yards and an interception in the second half, and fans booed him on most of his drives as none of them ended in scores.
Sanders, meanwhile, made his first preseason start after lightning delayed the opening of his night, then threw a touchdown strike once play resumed. He played four non-kneel-down drives, led one touchdown march and threw one interception. The mix of results gave Monken enough to talk about and not enough to settle anything.
Monken praised Sanders after the game, saying there was “a lot there to like” and that he thought the rookie “did a lot of good things.” But when asked directly about a starter, he stopped short of making it official. He said he was not ready to make a definitive decision by Saturday afternoon and added that he would wait until he watched the tape and talked to the staff.
That hesitation matters because the Browns are now at the point in the preseason when a quarterback competition is supposed to start turning into a plan. Monken had already suggested during the summer that he expected to settle on a QB1 around this time, yet Saturday left the club with two passers who each showed something and neither one who locked the door. Sanders brought a scoring drive. Watson brought experience, but also boos and another uneven line. Neither settled the debate.
The next step is clear enough. Cleveland plays the Patriots on Thursday, and Monken will have to decide whether to keep dividing the work or narrow the field. For now, the Browns have a game result, a noisy home reaction and two quarterbacks still waiting for an answer.
