With the preseason about to begin, the Cleveland Browns still haven’t named a starting quarterback. Shedeur Sanders describes the competition between him and Deshaun Watson as one marked by mutual respect.

The competition between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson for the starting quarterback role with the Cleveland Browns continues.

Originally, new head coach Todd Monken planned to announce the starting quarterback at the end of minicamp. However, there still doesn’t appear to be a clear favorite.

Sanders has now spoken to “Cleveland.com” about the competition between the two: “I’d say it’s exactly what we’ve been saying since day one. We’re both trying to be the best versions of ourselves that we can be.”

He continued: “That’s why we don’t let anything get in the way. So it’s a level of respect that we all have for each other in the quarterback room.”

Sanders and Watson at a joint passing camp in Miami

Sanders also says that he and Watson support each other in their efforts to improve: “We’re mainly focused on getting better at our jobs every day, and that’s what drives us. So if I like something he’s doing, I ask him about it. If he likes something I’m doing, he asks me. It’s a give-and-take, and that’s what’s most effective.”

After the mini-camp ended and before training camp began, both quarterbacks participated in a passing camp in Miami alongside the team’s top receivers—Jerry Jeudy, Isaiah Bond, Cedric Tillman, KC Concepcion, and Denzel Boston.

“I think it was extremely important for us as a group that everyone who had time came to Miami,” Sanders told the daily newspaper “The Chronicle-Telegram.”

He continued: “For those who came, it was really great, and we felt a very special bond there. Just away from the practice facility, away from all that stuff … it’s exciting. You create real memories, real bonds, and that’s irreplaceable.”

Browns QB Shedeur Sanders on working out with teammates in Miami, including Deshaun Watson. pic.twitter.com/9YQtfhhFDx

— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) July 19, 2026

Sanders or Watson? The decision will likely take some time

Last season, Sanders became the third quarterback—after Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel—to be named the starter.

In seven starts, the 24-year-old led the franchise to three wins and threw for 1,400 yards, with seven touchdowns and ten interceptions. Even though he performed better than his two predecessors, he has not yet shown that he can be a franchise quarterback in the NFL in the future.

In the upcoming season, he’ll have two promising receiver prospects—Concepcion and Boston—to support him, and running back Quinshon Judkins is returning from injury. The conditions for an improvement in performance are thus in place, but first he must prove himself against Watson.

Watson arrived in 2022 in a blockbuster trade from the Houston Texans, a deal widely regarded as one of—if not the—worst trades in NFL history.

Since his arrival, the now 30-year-old has never been able to recapture his former form. From 2022 to 2024, due to his susceptibility to injury, he managed just under 1,000 passing yards each season and a total of 19 touchdowns against 12 interceptions—and he was never his team’s leading passer in any of those seasons.

Watson will enter the final year of his contract in 2026, with $46 million still fully guaranteed. In total, the quarterback has earned $230 million in Cleveland.

It’s quite possible that this is another reason why the franchise is still trying to squeeze every last bit of value out of its former star player—though he has no future with the franchise either way.

The Browns’ rookies are scheduled to report to training camp on July 23, and the veterans on July 28.  It is expected that neither quarterback will be named the starter by then, and the decision will not be made until sometime during the preseason. On August 15, the team will play its first preseason game against the Chicago Bears.