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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The Cleveland Browns' ongoing quarterback competition has dominated headlines for months. But now that training camp is underway, it's beginning to take shape, and it appears Shedeur Sanders might be gaining ground on Deshaun Watson.
Sanders was working with the first-team offense on Tuesday and led a successful two-minute drive at the end of practice that ended with a field goal. That marked the second straight practice in which Sanders led a two-minute drive to close things out. He already impressed during the first week of camp, and with preseason games just around the corner, it feels like momentum is in his favor.
Speaking after practice on Tuesday, head coach Todd Monken spoke highly of the second-year NFL quarterback.
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"I've been highly impressed over the last four months that I've been around him with how far he's come as a player, and he's only going to continue to get better," Monken said. "I think you'll continue to see his operation and mechanics improve, and I think that's the biggest part right now — in and out of the huddle, getting to the line of scrimmage, eliminating that anxiety, his anxiety and my anxiety."
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In seven starts last season, Sanders threw for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions, along with 169 rushing yards. It was a rocky rookie campaign by the numbers, but the Browns have clearly seen enough growth behind the scenes to make this a real competition heading into 2026.
Coming into this QB battle, many expected it would be Watson's to lose. He's the 30-year-old veteran with years of starting experience under his belt, and the player in whom the franchise has already invested heavily. But it's a lot easier for the Browns to move off Watson midseason than it would be for Sanders. Sanders is still a young talent, and benching him midway through would be damaging to his development.
If Sanders keeps performing the way he has through the first week of camp and wins the starting job, he'll be well-positioned to run away with it once the season starts. The Browns loaded up on receivers in the draft, taking both KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston to pair with Jerry Jeudy. They also added pieces on the offensive line, including Pro Bowl center Elgton Jenkins, veteran guard Zion Johnson and first-round tackle Spencer Fano.
With a full offseason in Monken's new system and all of these new pieces around him, Sanders could be in line for a real breakout in 2026 if he keeps this level of play up.
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