Todd Monken’s reps for Browns QBs confuses on Tuesday after Deshaun Watson named starter

Coach Todd Monken watches quarterbacks practice, including Dillon Gabriel, at the Browns mini camp in Berea on April 21, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co In many ways, the Cleveland Browns were the center of the football world again for about 48 hours. It started with a poor performance in t

What is the story about?

In many ways, the Cleveland Browns were the center of the football world again for about 48 hours. It started with a poor performance in their second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills

, continued with QB Deshaun Watson’s press conference that seemed like it could torpedo his chance to start, only for HC Todd Monken to name him the starter over QB Shedeur Sanders on Monday.

On top of that, TE Dae’Quan Wright is now set to make football history, which was only possible because the Browns released

him.

Monken also announced that the final preseason game would not see Watson or Sanders, giving a chance for QBs Dillon Gabriel and Taylen Green to get some time on the field. Cleveland’s coach also noted that the team’s starters would not be playing on Thursday, with the focus being on guys fighting to make the roster.

With Watson installed as the starter and starters not playing on Thursday, Monken’s practice reps were once again confusing on Tuesday:

One of the reasons Monken wanted to decide on the team’s starting quarterback was to give him time to gel with the starters before Week 1. Instead, Tuesday was spent giving the third-string quarterback, seemingly, time with the starters.

Is Monken preparing just in case Gabriel becomes the starter at some point this year? Don’t Watson and the starters need as much time together as possible? If the starter, Watson, wasn’t going to get all the reps this week, why the need to establish him as the starter before the third preseason game?

In the end, will one practice make a huge impact on anything? Probably not. That question, however, is more about outcome. The bigger question is about the process that led Monken to give Gabriel reps with the first team on Tuesday.

What do you think of Monken giving Gabriel reps with the 1st team, for the 1st time, after naming Watson the starter, even though he won’t be playing with them on Thursday?