Browns’ Todd Monken Hit With Serious Shedeur Sanders Allegation

Skip Bayless took aim at the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback situation Saturday night, questioning new coach Todd Monken’s enthusiastic praise of Deshaun Watson after a shaky preseason performance and suggesting the coach has already settled on the veteran over second-year player Shedeur Sanders.

Bayless posted on X: “New coach Todd Monken laughably but not surprisingly raved about Deshaun’s shaky 1st half today. It’s obvious Monken has already decided to start Deshaun in part bc the owner wants to justify the final yr of his all-time bad contract. Monken doesn’t seem to be a Shedeur fan.”

The final portion of Bayless’ comment drew particular attention, framing Monken’s postgame remarks as evidence of a clear preference against Sanders. Bayless argued the coach’s positive assessment of Watson’s uneven first half revealed an underlying lack of enthusiasm for the younger quarterback competing for the starting job.

Watson completed 11 of 15 passes for 126 yards while playing the entire first half of Cleveland’s 34-10 loss to the Chicago Bears. He led two scoring drives, including one capped by a touchdown, but also lost a fumble and struggled at times under pressure in his first game action since October 2024.

Monken described Watson’s outing in glowing terms.

“It was awesome,” the first-year coach said. “It was so cool to watch him play. I get all of the frustration by fans, himself (with the past), but for him to come back and work like he did is an unbelievable credit to him. He was having fun today, and I thought he really functioned at a high level.”

Sanders entered in the third quarter and finished six of 11 for 79 yards with one interception and a 39.6 passer rating. He showed flashes of downfield accuracy, including a 35-yard completion, but the interception on an overthrow late in his appearance stood out.

Monken said he was “really pleased with our quarterback play” overall despite three turnovers by the group, yet offered far less detailed praise for Sanders specifically.

Bayless zeroed in on that disparity. By calling Monken’s praise of Watson “laughable” given the incomplete and imperfect nature of the performance, and then stating that “Monken doesn’t seem to be a Shedeur fan,” the commentator suggested the coach entered the evaluation process with a tilt against the 24-year-old. The implication was that Sanders faces an uphill battle not solely based on performance but on the coach’s apparent disposition.

The Browns entered the preseason with an open competition between Watson and Sanders. Monken had previously announced Watson would start the opener and play the first half, with Sanders set to start the second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills and handle the first half of that contest. Both will share first-team reps in joint practices this week.

Watson is in the final year of the fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract he signed upon arriving in Cleveland in 2022. The deal has been widely criticized as one of the most burdensome in NFL history, with owner Jimmy Haslam previously describing the acquisition as a “big swing and miss.”

Bayless explicitly tied Monken’s apparent lean toward Watson to organizational pressure to extract value from that remaining year.

Sanders started seven games as a rookie in 2025 after moving up the depth chart, finishing with 1,400 passing yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. His completion percentage and accuracy ranked near the bottom of the league among qualifiers.

Monken has acknowledged Sanders’ improvement in command of the offense and playmaking ability during camp, yet the postgame emphasis remained heavily on Watson’s return and demeanor.

The competition is scheduled to continue at least through the Bills game. Monken has said he targeted the second preseason contest as a key evaluation point before deciding on a Week 1 starter. Cleveland opens the regular season Sept. 13 at Jacksonville.

Bayless’ assertion that Monken “doesn’t seem to be a Shedeur fan” framed the coach’s comments as more than routine positivity toward a veteran returning from injury. Instead, it positioned them as a signal that Sanders may already be fighting not only for playing time but against a coaching preference shaped in part by financial and ownership considerations surrounding Watson’s contract.

Whether that interpretation holds will become clearer next week when Sanders gets his opportunity to start. For now, Bayless has placed the spotlight squarely on the notion that Monken’s leanings may already favor the higher-paid veteran.