Overview
- Shedeur Sanders produced a breakout, media‑open OTA session on Wednesday with a 7‑for‑15 line and three touchdown throws and he took extra first‑team reps that day.
- Todd Monken said the team has “two starting‑level quarterbacks,” has been alternating reps between Sanders and Deshaun Watson, and left open the option to delay a final QB1 decision into minicamp or training camp.
- Dillon Gabriel has fallen to the periphery of the competition with most reps going to Watson and Sanders and reporters noted Jared Verse wearing Gabriel’s No. 8 at OTAs as a visible sign of Gabriel’s weakened standing.
- Deshaun Watson remains an active candidate under a ‘clean slate’ evaluation as he returns from an Achilles injury and enters the final guaranteed year of his contract, though analysts have suggested he could face midseason benching if results lag.
- Mandatory minicamp on June 9–11 is the next formal checkpoint for the Browns and the eventual QB choice will shape 53‑man roster moves, potential trades or cuts, and whether the team leans toward short‑term results or longer‑term development.