Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders on how they're approaching preseason opener at Bears

Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken knows which quarterback will start the preseason opener against the Chicago Bears. Monken said he planned to inform Browns players after Wednesday's practice which quarterback he selected, but he has not yet made the decision public.

"It's still a competition," Monken said Wednesday. "We'll get a chance to see them both, and every week we'll get a chance to assess [them]."

Monken's plan is for either Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders to start Saturday's game against the Bears, with the other quarterback taking over in the third quarter. Then the pecking order will flip for the Browns' second preseason game against the Bills on Aug. 22.

The Browns released an unofficial depth chart Tuesday, which listed Watson and Sanders as co-starters.

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Monken said doing it this way helps give the Browns a chance to look at Saturday's starter, with the Browns' first-team offense, in a two-minute drill situation.

"I'd like to see [Saturday's starting] quarterback play a half and get a two-minute," Monken said. "We're gonna do everything we can to try and get a two-minute, right? Simulate that for the half, and we're going to try to do the exact same thing the next week."

Asked why he's handling it the way he is, Monken wouldn't reveal his precise thinking but downplayed that one quarterback will gain a significant edge over the other based on the order in which they start.

"It's really not that big a deal because they're both going to play in the two games," Monken said. "So in both games, just more than one and the other and one's going to start the other."

Monken did not lay out the playing time plan for the other two quarterbacks on the roster, 2025 third-rounder Dillon Gabriel or 2026 sixth-rounder Taylen Green.

Here's what Watson and Sanders had to say about their battle heading into Saturday's game:

Watson last played in a football game in Week 7 of the 2024 regular season. He suffered a non-contact rupture of his right Achilles tendon in that contest, then Watson re-tore the Achilles during rehab, which required a second surgery in January 2025 and prematurely ended his 2025 season.

The fact that he's even in a starting battle now is amazing considering the setbacks Watson has endured. Saturday's game is another milestone in his comeback.

"I'm super excited," Watson said Wednesday. "I think all the hard work that I put in with the training staff, with all my team [and] my personal team to get to this stage has been tremendous for myself. So I'm super excited for those opportunities and can't wait for it."

Watson has been a full participant in camp, trading first-team reps with Sanders against a good Browns defense the past two weeks. Now he's ready to test himself against some more unfamiliar defenders in Chicago.

"For me, it's just really just being able to play live football against a different opponent," Watson said. "So I'm not worried about being hit or anything like that. That's part of the game. But as far as me just operating in a live setting without being on the practice field and coaches being on the field with you, that's what I'm looking forward to and just getting those reps."

Monken's emphasis in camp has been to practice with game-like intensity, focus and preparation. Those have all helped, both Watson and Sanders agreed, but Watson believes that the added element of game speed will provide an even better look for him, especially since a game's flow is different than a practice setting, where plays might be more situationally based.

"Yeah, because the games [are] a lot faster," Watson said. "People are thinking differently. You don't have those times where you're kind of prepping on … this is third down, so we're going to play the sticks … rather in a game where you got to be locked in on the situation. 

"The plays, you're not really thinking about the last rep, the last play, but you forget that it's third down, second down, or you might play it a little bit different than in practice. … It takes time and the more opportunities we get in preseason to be able to get those opportunities and reps is very helpful." 

Based on camp reports and Monken's actions, including recently giving Watson an unannounced day with the starters after it appeared to be Sanders' turn in the rotation, it appears that Watson has the edge heading into the Chicago game, even as Watson reportedly has thrown more interceptions in practices than Sanders.

Sanders first apologized to the Cleveland media for being short the last time he spoke with them, saying he was upset that he felt some in the media were trying to "divide the team," indicating that he was "trying to preserve (his) energy from going in depth with a lot of things."

Then Sanders spoke with poise and positivity about where he is in the Browns' QB competition. He refused to criticize Monken or the coaching staff for how they've handled practice reps this point. Asked about a reported misunderstanding on the day Watson unexpectedly received all the first-team reps, Sanders put the non-issue to bed quickly.

"No, I don't think with the coaches that we have to ever wonder," he said. "I think whatever is said is direct. Obviously it's like, we (were) informed, you know, and everything (was handled) the right way. So it was never a miscommunication between us, you know."

The competition also hasn't bothered Sanders. Compared to his early-camp situation a year ago as a rookie, where he was fourth on the depth chart ahead of only an injured Watson, Sanders said he's in a much better spot now.

"I think (competition) doesn't even faze me or get to me or I think about that at all, you know? I'm just thankful to be out able to practice, you know," Sanders said. "So sometimes you got to sit back and reflect on … why would I feel negative in this situation if last year was a (totally) different situation? 

"So I think about things that I'm thankful for in life and not that I really want. If you live in that 'want' world then you can always be searching."

Like Watson, Sanders is eager to see what happens when the Browns face different competition and put Monken's game-speed prep to the test.

"We approach practice like a game, so it's the same amount of focus and seriousness that it is," Sanders said. "So that's why I'm excited to feel… is, like, how similar does it feel to practice, honestly? Because it's a different type of intention and a mentality, you know, that we go out there every day with."

Sanders also said that he'd dealt with a blister on his throwing hand early in camp but that it's no longer an issue. 

"No, that happened this past offseason getting back into it, just from throwing a lot," Sanders said. "Honestly, that's where it came from, and it's all healed up now. But that was a thing, I would say, at the start of training camp and everything that we just had to work through and be able to figure out."