INDIANAPOLIS — Todd Monken had high praise for Shedeur Sanders as a playmaker. The new Browns coach was optimistic Sanders could make enough strides from his up-and-down rookie season to secure the starting quarterback job for Week 1. He complimented his “knack” for escaping pressure.
But Monken isn’t ready to name Sanders the starter. He wants to see more of Sanders, Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel and would like to see the Browns add to the group in the offseason, whether a veteran or draft choice.
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“I don’t know why it wouldn’t be an open competition,” Monken said Wednesday at the scouting combine. “I don’t mean that saying it harshly, but I don’t think there’s enough on film over the last couple years one way or the other to say, boy, we have our starter at quarterback yet. Whether internally or externally.”
As Monken took the podium, he glanced to his left and saw Seattle’s Mike Macdonald and to his right and saw New England’s Mike Vrabel. The 60-year-old first-time NFL head coach was sandwiched between the Super Bowl tandem from a couple of weeks ago.
They had quarterbacks who played at a high level in 2025. The Browns didn’t as they went 5-12 and ranked 31st in points and 30th in yards.
Sanders went 3-4 while starting the final seven games. His 65.6 completion percentage was 42nd in the league, 4.7 interception percentage 41st and 68.1 passer rating 41st. He passed for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
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He enters the offseason as the incumbent. The quarterback discussion starts with him, as did the questions.
“What you see is elite playmaking ability,” Monken said. “That’s in him. You’ve seen it. We’ve seen it. You saw it in college, you saw it on tape last year.
“Sure, there’s a ways to go, but what first-year player doesn’t have a long way to go. I’m excited to get started with him and all of our quarterbacks and all of our players.”
Browns coach Todd Monken on Shedeur Sanders. pic.twitter.com/Cdzze2Sz8c
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Monken was careful to include Watson, Gabriel and any yet-to-be-named passer in many of his answers.
“I wouldn’t say it’s important to, but we’re going to do our due diligence to make sure that our roster, that we put ourselves in the best position we can to score points, which starts with that position,” he said when asked about adding an external candidate. “I’m excited about Shedeur, excited about Deshaun and Dillon. I’m excited about the prospects, not only in free agency but also in the draft, and we’ll see where it all falls.”
General manager Andrew Berry said Tuesday he’d be fine heading into training camp without knowing the starting quarterback. Monken would prefer to have his man.
“You would hope that that’s the case. You would hope that by the time you get to training camp that the reps that you’re giving to a quarterback is for your starter,” he said. “Whether we get to that place, I don’t know. That’ll be determined in the offseason as part of it. It’s just another piece.”
The equation would change and the open competition would close if the Browns signed Green Bay’s Malik Willis as a free agent. He’ll likely command more than $25 million a season, which guarantees the starting job.
A cheaper veteran or a draft pick could fit into the competition.
With Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza expected to go No. 1 to the Raiders, Alabama’s Ty Simpson is widely considered the draft’s next-best quarterback. The Browns are scheduled to pick at Nos. 6 and 24, and Monken is a fan of Simpson, who got off to a great start in his one full season as the starter before struggling with injuries and a lack of support from teammates.
He completed 64.5 percent for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns and five interceptions.
“I like Ty. I liked Ty when he was coming out (of high school),” said Monken, who was Georgia’s offensive coordinator from 2020-22. “When I first got to Georgia, they hadn’t offered him and I went up there and talked to his dad. In fact, his dad, Jason, is a Southern Miss alum and I was the head coach at Southern Miss. So we got to know them really well.
“Really fond of Ty, obviously really good football player, fired up for him because in today’s day and age, for him to stay as long as he did at Alabama and then get a chance to be the starting quarterback’s pretty cool. And that is really cool for him to live out his dream at the school he chose four years ago.”
Browns coach Todd Monken on Alabama QB Ty Simpson, who’s a candidate to be a first-round pick. pic.twitter.com/YMPXAhMkB4
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Watson could be the wild card. He’s a three-time Pro Bowler and led the league with 4,823 passing yards in 2020 but hasn’t played a full season since. He missed time with a suspension and multiple serious injuries and hasn’t played in a game since October 2024.
“I think anytime that you have a player that at one time has exhibited the skillset at an elite level, you’re always going to give them the benefit of the doubt that somehow we might be able to get that out of him again,” Monken said. “I’m going to let it play out.”
He said he didn’t want to prejudge, like a teacher wouldn’t when giving an exam.
“That’s unfair,” Monken said. “Now you’re going to have some preconceived notions obviously because we have prior evidence, but I don’t decide who plays. The players decide who plays. I’ve never decided who plays.”
He spent the last three seasons as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator. He worked with two-time MVP Lamar Jackson, who might be the best dual-threat quarterback in the history of the NFL.
Monken was asked if Sanders has the mobility to do the job the way Monken wants it done.
“All three of the quarterbacks have mobility. I think you see that on tape,” he said. “Shedeur surprised me a little bit in terms of — ‘mobile’ might be (too strong) but he’s got a knack, he’s got a feel. Like he does in playmaking, he has a real sense in the pocket when it starts to collapse and moving around the pocket and he made more plays or got himself out of trouble than I would’ve thought even coming out, which was nice to see. As Deshaun has and Dillon has.”
