How Shedeur Sanders closed the gap in QB competition vs. Deshaun Watson

Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken confirmed on Tuesday that he does not plan to name a Week 1 starting quarterback anytime soon. 

That was quite a noteworthy revelation, as it was previously suggested that Deshaun Watson could be declared the winner of the competition for the QB1 job over Shedeur Sanders shortly after Cleveland's mandatory minicamp wrapped up this coming Thursday. 

On Wednesday, Browns reporter Zac Jackson of The Athletic shared what has happened since it was first said in late April that Watson had "the inside track to" win the starting gig.

Browns' QB competition has "changed" this spring

"The optics of the competition have changed, at least from the sideline," Jackson wrote. "After Watson was first in line and got the bulk of the competitive reps with the No. 1 offense in the first two offseason practices open to reporters, Sanders has been the primary No. 1 quarterback in each of the last two open practices. Monken referencing the rotation for the rest of the week implies that it’s been a 50-50 split for most of the way, and Watson being first up in 7-on-7 drills Tuesday matches the way previous practice reps were split."

As it pertains to Tuesday's session, Jackson noted that Sanders "started one of the 11-on-11 periods with a quick out to [wide receiver Denzel Boston], which can be taken as a sign of confidence in the rookie." According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Sanders "won the day" as it pertained to the quarterback battle. 

"With Sanders coming on strong the past two weeks — and having another excellent day on Tuesday with some deep completions to Isaiah Bond, KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston — Monken wants to see how he’ll fare during training camp when the real competition begins," Cabot added. "At first, it seemed like Watson was a lock, but Sanders has made it a game."

Shedeur Sanders looks different in this way

"Sanders seems to be carrying himself with more confidence and has thrown with better accuracy over the last two practices than he seemingly did early on," Jackson explained. "Monken won’t say if the team’s decision to move on from Myles Garrett and embrace what’s almost certainly going to be one of the league’s youngest rosters affects the team’s quarterback plans, but it should. Watson is only under contract for one more season, and if he’s going to revive his NFL career, it seems unlikely it would happen in Cleveland. Sanders is on his standard rookie contract through 2028, and if what Monken has said about Sanders’ growth and improvement this spring is true, the Browns should continue to give him every chance to develop and win the job."

Per Browns insider Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand, Monken "is likely to continue the competition into the first two weeks of training camp without naming a No. 1." Training-camp practices won't get underway until late July, but it remains to be seen if Sanders and/or Watson will spend portions of the next month and a half organizing throwing sessions with some teammates. 

Perhaps Monken wants to see if either or both of the signal-callers will embrace a no-days-off mentality heading into the start of summer. Cleveland opens the preseason portion of the team's schedule at the Chicago Bears on Aug. 15, and the Browns will then host the Buffalo Bills on Aug. 22.

One would think Monken would want to name a starter shortly after the conclusion of the Buffalo game.