Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders did not get a win in his first start of 2026, but head coach Todd Monken had high praise for the second-year signal-caller.
Monken named Sanders the Browns' Week 9 starter
on Friday, Nov. 6 as Deshaun Watson remained in concussion protocol. The Browns fell to the New Orleans Saints 23-22 in an overtime loss on the road, but Sanders put together one of the best starts of his career: 19-of-31 passing (61.3%) for 297 yards and two touchdowns."I'm really proud of him," Monken said after the game. "How hard he's worked since I've been here. He wasn't perfect. I wasn't perfect. But for a guy that really hasn't taken snaps with the ones (other starters) in 10 weeks ... to come in there and continue to battle
– really, really proud of him."
The Browns' coach continued by complimenting the way Sanders has continued to learn and mature throughout his second year despite a lack of on-field reps. Monken pointed specifically to the young quarterback's ability to ask the right questions and receive feedback with a new coaching staff as signs of growth in 2026.
As well as Sanders may have played, the Browns' head coach was not ready to commit to more starts this year for the second-year passer. Asked about whether Sanders had shown enough against the Saints to earn the QB1 job going forward, Monken refused to comment.
"I'm not even– How long has it been, 30 minutes since the game ended? I'm not getting into quarterback. If we want to talk about Shedeur, we can talk about Shedeur," he said.
Monken concluded his praise of Sanders by reiterating that the Colorado product had a "great week of practice," a sentiment he had shared in his press conference on Nov. 6. He also addressed the comments Sanders made on Wednesday, Nov. 4, when the quarterback played coy after a question about what he saw from the Saints' defense.
"You could see his excitement. I think the opposition took when they mentioned playing this week like it was disrespectful. I think he was just excited to play. I think the smile on his face just said, 'Nothing to do with your defense, I'm just fired up to play,'" Monken said.
Cleveland will take on the Houston Texans at home next week before a Week 11 bye. The Nov. 15 game is the first of four straight home matchups for the Browns after playing six of their first nine games on the road.
At 5-4, the Browns are in third place in the AFC North and sit 1.5 games back of the Steelers and Bengals, the teams tied for first in the division.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Browns HC praises Shedeur Sanders after first 2026 start: 'Really proud'
