Todd Monken didn’t slam the door on a quarterback switch after Shedeur Sanders nearly pulled off a comeback win for the Browns on Sunday.
Cleveland fell 23-22 in overtime to the New Orleans Saints, but Sanders gave the team a real shot to steal it late. Filling in for Deshaun Watson, who missed most of the week of practice with a concussion, Sanders kept the Browns alive in the fourth quarter and overtime and instantly put the starting job back into the conversation.
After the game, Monken was asked directly whether Sanders had done enough to keep the role next week. He wasn’t eager to dive in.
"How long has it been? 30 minutes since the game ended? I’m not, I’m not getting into quarterback."
That answer left the door open, even if Monken didn’t exactly invite the debate. He could have shut it down with a simple declaration that Watson remains the starter. Instead, he chose to sidestep it.
The question was hardly a surprise. Monken had already been asked on Wednesday, when it first became clear Sanders could start, whether Watson would still be the starter once healthy. At that point, he was much more direct.
“Yeah, I didn’t assume I’d get that question. Yeah, he’s been our starter for eight games. I would assume he’s still our starter.”
Sunday’s performance made the issue harder to brush aside. Sanders finished 19-of-31 for 297 yards and two touchdowns, adding 28 rushing yards.
He and the Browns started slowly, but when the game tightened up, he delivered. Cleveland was one failed two-point try away from a wild overtime win.
The bigger picture is what makes this interesting. With Watson or Sanders, the Browns offense has been stuck for three quarters and productive late. Sanders at least gave the team a spark and a chance to win, and he did it in a way that makes the conversation unavoidable.
Monken now has to go back to the film and decide what makes the most sense. But after Sunday, it’s clear there’s a real decision to be made.
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Browns Chaos Took Another Strange Turn In A Brutal Loss
The Browns latest week of chaos had an odd pregame twist before the loss to the Saints, when head coach Todd Monken was recorded laughing about quarterback Shedeur Sanders asking for plays that were not in the teams playbook. It was the kind of detail that fit the strange, uneasy feel around Cleveland right now, where even the buildup to a close game seemed to carry its own subplot.
Sanders then helped fuel the afternoons biggest swing anyway, uncorking a 64-yard touchdown to rookie wide receiver KC Concepion in the fourth quarter to briefly put Cleveland in front. But the Browns could not finish the job, and after choosing to go for two instead of settling for a tie, they wound up losing in overtime in a game that only deepened the sense that nothing around this team comes easily. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Suddenly Have A QB Decision Fans May Not Like
Deshaun Watsons concussion protocol absence in Week 9 opened the door for Shedeur Sanders, and the rookie made the most of it with a strong start in his first extended look. For a Browns team trying to steady itself, the timing was notable: the offense looked different with Sanders at the controls, and the performance gave the coaching staff something it did not necessarily expect to have to consider this late in the season.
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Browns Defense Has One Early Problem Holding Back A Playoff Run
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Mike Rutenbergs game plans have come under the microscope because the issues appear to be tied to how the defense starts, not how it finishes. That matters for a team with postseason expectations, because the Browns can afford a lot less margin for error if the early script keeps putting them behind before the defense finds its rhythm. [Read more 🡒]