Day 17 of Cleveland Browns training camp took place Thursday, August 20. The Buffalo Bills were in town for a joint practice session, before the teams face off in the preseason this weekend.
Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report – Day 17 (8/20/26)
1. Monken Pleased: “God, was that a lot of fun? Holy shit. It’s fun to compete against someone else.” That’s how head coach Todd Monken opened his post-practice press conference, which was a different wrinkle since every other day of camp, he’s talked before practice. Overall, he was pleased with the Browns’ part
in the joint practice, especially the fact that the offense looked like it belonged. You can read more about what Monken had to say here.
2. Bring the Cart Out: There weren’t many injuries during the Browns-Bills joint practice, which is a plus. The downside is there still was an injury, which came on this play involving DE Alex Wright:
Wright tried to shake it off, but the cart eventually came to take him off the field. Early indications are that it might be a calf injury, but we’ll await further update. The Browns are already thin on the defensive line depth.
3. Watson Starts With Some Beauties: The ‘starter’ for this practice was QB Deshaun Watson, as QB Shedeur Sanders will start this Sunday. During his first 11-on-11 set, Watson threw this beauty to WR KC Concepcion over the middle:
A little later, Watson found Concepcion again on a deep crossing route:
4. Campbell Getting Closer: Although he wasn’t in later team drills, CB Tyson Campbell continues trying to make his way back to shore up the Browns’ cornerback depth.
5. That Stigma Exists: We’ve heard what some anonymous opposing executives or coaches think of QB Shedeur Sanders (that that basically want to face him), so you know that stigma will exist among opposing defenses too. Some reporters noted hearing a Bills defender poking fun at Sanders checking the ball down early on:
This one wasn’t a checkdown, as Sanders found WR Malachi Corley over the middle:
6. Red Zone Giveth, Red Zone Taketh: Down near the goal line, QB Deshaun Watson found TE Blake Whiteheart for a touchdown pass:
Later, though, while working with the second-team offense in another red zone drill, Watson’s lone big mistake of practice came when he didn’t feel the underneath the defender and was picked off:
7. Uh-Oh: Should we dare show these highlights? All camp, we haven’t really heard about QB Taylen Green, but the rookie quarterback got a few red zone reps today. He capitalized on them first with this touchdown pass to WR Tylan Wallace on the fade:
And then, here is Green with a touchdown run. Browns fans and the media are already pondering if Cleveland will try to leverage Green’s speed in red zone packages this season.
8. Situational Football: Even though we aren’t showing much of the Bills’ offense, the word was that they had the upper hand against Cleveland’s defense. Toward the end of practice, teams started at their own 35 yard line in the two-minute drill (1:50 on the clock and one timeout), down by four points and needing a touchdown. QB Josh Allen found TE Dalton Kincaid wide open for a 55-yard touchdown on the second play of the drill, as S Ronnie Hickman may have been at fault.
9. Shedeur’s Turn: QB Shedeur Sanders led a drive, with the offense getting as far as 11 yards away from the end zone. One of the plays to keep the drive going was this 4th-and-1 completion to TE Harold Fannin:
However, the drive came up short, with Sanders’ last attempt seeing him try to hit WR Denzel Boston on this pass in the corner of the end zone. Todd Monken messed up by calling a timeout at some point in which he shouldn’t have (he acknowledged it after practice).
10. Reverse the Field: I don’t know if you really put much weight into a play like this, but it was still highlight-worthy from practice. With RB Quinshon Judkins sitting out, RB Raheim Sanders got some more action. He reversed directions mid-run here, with QB Deshaun Watson helping lead the way on a downfield block, for a big gain.
11. Some Encouragement: After practice, QB Josh Allen said he talked to QB Deshaun Watson and appreciated Watson’s determination to fight back from his injuries:
12. Brownies: DE Isaiah McGuire had a fumble recovery off of a botched handoff between QB Josh Allen and RB James Cook. … K Andre Szmyt was 5-of-6 on field goals, with his miss hitting off the left upright. … LT Spencer Fano was praised again for winning his one-on-one battles. … RB Raheim Sanders also was noted as having some nice blocks in pass protection. … With the injuries at defensive end, DL Mike Hall saw at least one rep there. … There were a few minor arguments between Browns and Bills players, but nothing escalated to a fight. … With the successful practice, the veterans are expected to rest for the preseason game on Saturday, with the youngsters seeing most of the action. … Here are some tweets from the Buffalo perspective:
13. Up Next: The Browns will take on the Buffalo Bills in the second preseason game at home this Saturday at 1:00 pm ET.
