Shedeur Sanders Trails Deshaun Watson After Browns Minicamp

Deshaun Watson left Browns minicamp as the favorite to start in Week 1, with shedeur sanders still trying to force his way into the top spot. Watson took more first-team reps than Sanders as Cleveland sorted through its quarterback work in a new offense.

Watson’s Lead

That edge came out of the Browns’ minicamp practices last week, where Watson and Sanders both worked with the first unit. Watson wound up with more snaps with the starters, a sign the staff leaned toward his experience while it installs Todd Monken’s offense.

Watson did not play at all in 2025 after tearing his Achilles, yet the Browns still value his ability to get younger players in the right spots. Cleveland’s offense is skewing young, and that has made the quarterback decision more than a simple competition for reps.

Sanders Needs A Jump

Mary Kay Cabot wrote that Sanders “will have to dazzle the coaching staff to land atop the depth chart heading into training camp.” That is the bar now. He got first-team work, but not enough to pass Watson during minicamp.

Sanders still has about six weeks left in the offseason program to change the picture before training camp. The Browns have not made any public pronouncements about the depth chart, so the work on the field remains the clearest guide to where the two quarterbacks stand.

For Cleveland, the immediate issue is not abstract. The team is installing a new offense under Monken, and the starter needs to settle the huddle while the younger pieces around him keep learning the system.