Shedeur Sanders wrapped up his rookie season as the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback, but as the team transitions into the Todd Monken era, his spot under center is anything but guaranteed. Monken, introduced as the Browns’ new head coach, made it clear in his first press conference that the quarterback competition is wide open-and Sanders will have to earn his stripes all over again.
Asked directly whether Sanders would retain the starting job in 2026, Monken didn’t bite.
“Like any position on the team, that’s still to be determined,” he said. “Am I excited about Shedeur?
Am I excited about all the quarterbacks in the room? Am I excited to coach this football team?
Absolutely. I can’t wait for them to get back and for us to get started.”
It’s a diplomatic answer, but also a telling one. Monken isn’t handing out starting jobs based on last year’s depth chart-he’s setting the tone for a fresh evaluation across the board. And that includes the most important position in football.
Sanders enters the offseason as one of three quarterbacks on Cleveland’s roster, alongside veteran Deshaun Watson and young signal-caller Dillon Gabriel. It’s a crowded room with varied experience, and Monken’s comments suggest the battle for QB1 will be one of the most closely watched storylines heading into training camp.
The road to this point wasn’t exactly smooth for Sanders. He began the 2025 season buried on the depth chart, sitting behind Joe Flacco and Gabriel.
But opportunity knocked in Week 12 against the Raiders, and Sanders didn’t look back. He took over the starting job and held onto it for the rest of the season, showing flashes of promise that made the Browns coaching staff-and fans-take notice.
Still, a new coach brings a new system, new expectations, and a clean slate. And Monken, who just helped guide Lamar Jackson to an MVP season in Baltimore, knows what elite quarterback play looks like. He also has a track record of developing talent, including Stetson Bennett at Georgia, where Monken helped steer the Bulldogs to back-to-back national championships.
So what exactly is Monken looking for as he evaluates his quarterbacks?
“I’m just gonna start with personality traits,” he explained. “When you talk about who’s gonna lead this team, who has the ‘it’ factor, who has those characteristics that the team wants to follow and believes in them-because the ball’s in their hand every down.”
Monken emphasized that the job isn’t just about arm strength or athleticism. It’s about poise, leadership, and the ability to deliver in the game’s most critical moments.
“This game’s gonna come down to two-minute situations, four-minute situations where you’ve gotta be able to execute at a high level,” he said. “And we’re just talking about some of the characteristics that you’re looking for-let alone some of the physical traits that we’ll get a chance to talk about later.”
For Sanders, the message is clear: past performance earned him a spot in the conversation, but not a lock on the job. He’ll need to prove he can lead not just with his arm, but with his presence-commanding the huddle, managing the moment, and showing that intangible “it” factor Monken is searching for.
The Browns’ quarterback competition is officially on. And with Monken at the helm, the bar is set high.