Shedeur Sanders Gets Powerful Boost From New Browns HC Todd Monken
To say the offseason thus far for Shedeur Sanders has been tough might be an understatement.
After ending last year as the Cleveland Browns‘ starting quarterback and making it to the Pro Bowl, the team changed staff with new head coach Todd Monken coming in and essentially saying that it was an open competition for the QB1 job.
To make matters worse, come the NFL Draft, the Browns decided to throw another QB into the mix in the form of the uber-athletic Taylen Green.
There have also been rumors over the past two months that former starter Deshaun Watson, who was out with an injury last year, might already have the pole position to get his job back as the starting signal-caller.
On Wednesday, though, Sanders got a boost from his new coach, Monken, who openly praised the sophomore QB’s development.
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“I think Shedeur’s come miles, in terms of his progressions, getting the ball out, his understanding of concepts,” he said in a press conference. “I think he’s really, really come a long way.”
Although Monken would then go on to praise Watson and talk about the other QBs in the room like Dillon Gabriel, it opens the door for Sanders, who might have felt like the walls were closing in following an awkward beginning to the offseason.
In terms of pure ability, Sanders, who was a first-round projection before free-falling down to a fifth-rounder in 2025, should have what it takes to outduel Gabriel and Green.
The ultimate challenge should be Watson, whom Monken praised for his “athleticism” that he compared to a superpower.
Monken also restated that he hopes to have a starting QB named by the start of training camp in July, which ups the stakes of practice this next month as Sanders looks to keep his starting position in Cleveland.
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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 5:47 PM.