Two weeks into Cleveland Browns training camp, the picture is starting to sharpen - and in a few spots, it’s getting messy fast.
With the Chicago Bears coming to town for Saturday’s preseason opener, new head coach Todd Monken is past the install phase and into the part of camp where he gets a much clearer read on what he actually has. That’s made Week 2 a revealing stretch, especially at quarterback and along an offensive line that has had a hard time getting healthy.
Deshaun Watson turned in one of his best practices of camp on Wednesday, stacking together several touchdown throws and running the offense cleanly. That carried into the rest of the week.
On Thursday, he mixed in with the starting unit even though it was Shedeur Sanders’ turn to work with the first team. Then on Saturday, Watson took Sanders’ first-team reps after Monken had told reporters before practice that the rookie would be first up.
That setup makes the quarterback competition look like it may be tilting. Sanders has not been bad on the field, but the Browns keep bringing up the pre-snap operation, and Watson appears to have the better grip on that part of things right now.
Sanders split backup reps with Dillon Gabriel on Saturday, which makes Monday’s work even more important. If Sanders is back with the reserves, Monken’s direction gets a lot easier to read.
The receiving group, meanwhile, had its best week of practice after general manager Andrew Berry’s offseason investment. Jerry Jeudy and Isaiah Bond both hauled in highlight touchdown grabs from Watson, while rookies KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston kept making noise and continued to look like players who could matter by season’s end.
The story on the other side of the ball has been much less polished. Cleveland’s revamped offensive line has struggled as the defense has held the edge in camp, and injuries have only made the group harder to evaluate.
Both centers competing for the job, Elgton Jenkins and Parker Brailsford, were banged up during the week. Projected starting right tackle Tytus Howard also missed time, and there’s already some discussion about whether he could end up starting at right guard instead.
Rookie left tackle Spencer Fano has also been rotating with Dawand Jones.
That front has time to sort itself out, but the Browns need answers soon.
One of the week’s more notable developments involved Verse, who went viral for staying after practice to help Fano work through his rookie camp growing pains. The third-year pass rusher has been a problem for Cleveland’s line since arriving in the blockbuster trade that sent Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams, but his influence has now shown up in a different way.
Verse is known for talking trash, and on Saturday that edge boiled over into a major brawl with Fano - the same tackle he had been helping just days earlier. After the dust settled, Fano responded with a few strong series.
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Browns Still Have One Problem That Could Derail Todd Monken's Plan
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Todd Monkens Early Browns Impact Could Shape This Messy Camp
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The larger backdrop, of course, is a camp where the Browns still have plenty to settle on the offensive side, from the quarterback competition to how quickly the line can come together. Even so, the defense gives Monken something more stable to lean on, with an experienced core that has stayed intact through recent extensions for key players. For a coach trying to establish a standard early, that balance of upheaval and continuity could make these first weeks in Berea especially revealing. [Read more 🡒]