The Cleveland Browns head coach, Todd Monken, had enough good things to say about QBs Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders after the OTAs. However, one significant detail about Watson caught Monken’s eyes, per a Browns insider. 

Mary Kay Cabot, who has long been the Browns' insider journalist, recently revealed that Monken recognized Watson's potential. Speaking to NFL insider Dave Bacon on cleveland.com, she disclosed what has set Watson apart during the OTAs.

“I think the first thing that he (Monken) saw in him (Watson) was that athleticism and it’s firmly on display,” Cabot said May 27. “His arm looks really good. His agility looks really good. Nobody really knew if that was all still going to be there the way that it has been in the past.”

Cabot added that Monken was familiar with Watson’s journey since the quarterback's days at the Clemson Tigers and the Houston Texans.

But after his two Achilles surgeries, the Browns didn’t know what to expect from the veteran quarterback, and neither did Monken, who was brought in as the Browns’ head coach in January.

"He has found his athleticism to be right on point," Cabot added. "He's found him to be in a really great headspace mentally, emotionally, just the attitude is good. He wants to still win."

The coach was most surprised by the fact that Watson still has that desire to go out there to win and change the narrative about him within NFL circles. 

Speaking to reporters after the OTAs last week, Monken made it clear that both quarterbacks, Watson and Sanders, impressed him. Mary Kay Cabot went on to address Shedeur Sanders’ progress, another detail that caught Todd Monken's attention. 

Shedeur Sanders Gets Hyped Up by Browns’ Head Coach Todd Monken

Mary Kay Cabot addressed the progress report of Shedeur Sanders. She said that Monken observed that the young quarterback has come a long way. 

"He has really seen Shedeur Sanders improve by miles, he said, and that is in the realm of just grasping the playbook," Cabot said. "He's just really come a long, long way from voluntary mini camp in just operating the offense efficiently."

Sanders, who spent his offseason in Cleveland, trying to improve on his playmaking ability, has made that progress by “leaps and bounds”, as per Cabot. Monken shared his feedback on the same last week after the OTAs. 

“I think Shedeur has come miles in terms of his progressions, getting the ball out and his understanding of concepts,” said Monken to reporters last Wednesday. “I think he’s really, really come a long way.”

Cabot added that if Sanders continues at the same pace, then anything can come out of the QB1 competition, where, reportedly, Watson is in the lead. She said that Monken has some kind of strategy behind not announcing his QB1 pick yet. 

She concluded by saying that Monken could announce his decision by June 11th at the Browns’ minicamp or most likely before the week 1 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 13.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.

Read more at the Cleveland Browns Community!

Written by

Naomi Grace

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore