Although coach Todd Monken says “nothing’s really changed” in the quarterback competition between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders, the numbers tell a different story.
Watson is getting more practice reps than Sanders as the spring season proceeds.
At least he did on Wednesday in the team’s second OTA practice, the first open to media.
Now, Monken always said the quarterbacks would not get equal reps. That was certainly the case on Wednesday.
Confined to the team’s 60-yard indoor field because of a bad weather forecast, Monken’s first 11-on-11 period was conducted on a split field. Watson and Dillon Gabriel took reps on one end of the field and Sanders and Taylen Green on the other. Watson threw with the first team and Sanders with the second team. In this period, routes were limited in length because of space limitations.
When the full field was used in the first 11-on-11 period, Sanders led off with the first team, followed by Gabriel with the second team. Watson entered third and was with the first team and then Sanders got another set of reps with the second team.
The final two periods, however, were dominated by Watson.
In a 7-on-7 period, Watson opened with a set with the first team, followed by Gabriel with the second team, and then Sanders with the second team. The period closed with Watson returning for another set with the first team.
In the final 11-on-11 period, Watson again led off with the first team, followed by Sanders with the second team. Watson then finished off the 2-hour practice with another set with the first team.
Overall, the passing numbers tracked by ESPN Cleveland in live (not walk-through speed) 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 live periods looked like this:
* Watson completed 13 of 21 passes with 1 TD.
The TD came in the 7-on-7 period on a beauty throw of over 30 yards to rookie Denzel Boston, who stutter-stepped to beat cornerback Tyson Campbell and hauled in the pass in the end zone with safety Ronnie Hickman arriving late.
Watson was denied a TD on the last throw of the day when rookie KC Concepcion beat cornerback Nate Evans but lost the ball falling into the end zone. That was another pass right on target, similar to the one Boston caught.
* Sanders completed 7 of 11 passes with 1 interception.
He was intercepted in the 7-on-7 period when Jerry Jeudy waited for a ball and did not come back for it, enabling safety Chris Edmonds to deflect it and cornerback Myles Bryant to intercept it.
* Gabriel, getting far fewer reps than a year ago at this time, completed 1 of 4 passes with 1 interception.
He was intercepted when his pass deflected off the intended receiver and was caught by newly-signed cornerback Michael Coats.
* Green was 1 for 1 on a short completion.
Monken said at rookie minicamp that Green’s reps would be scarce, and he was right.
Not pretty
Monken was not happy that Gabriel and Sanders tossed interceptions in the 7-on-7 period, in which there is no pass rush.
“For God’s sake,” Monken said. “I mean, who does that? There’s no pass rush. I mean, it’s embarrassing.”
Watson was spared an interception in the period when cornerback D’Angelo Ross dropped a deep sideline pass intended for Jeudy.
QB update
When asked if either QB was ahead at this point, Monken answered, “No … I mean, we’re going to rotate those guys and play the best player and we’ll see.”
Monken is now in his sixth week of working with the quarterbacks. Asked if he’s been surprised by anything, he said, “I shouldn’t say [I’m] surprised. I think more people would be surprised. Deshaun’s athleticism shows up. Obviously, he’s had that, but he’s had injuries that have set him back. I wouldn’t say it’s a surprise, but it’s exciting to see. It’s a weapon for him. It’s one of his superpowers, his athleticism.”
“And I think Shedeur’s come miles [in the offseason program], in terms of his progressions, getting the ball out, his understanding of concepts. I think he’s really, really come a long way.”
It’s obvious that Monken has respect for the way Watson has battled back from adversity over the previous four seasons.
“Well, he’s been great,” Monken said. “I’m all for a clean slate. I want the best for every player we have, every coach. I want the best for everybody in this world to have a great life. I think it’s really cool that he still has an opportunity, with a change, to showcase his ability and see where he’s at. I’m all for it.”
Play of the day
Boston, whose rep was to catch the 50-50 balls, turned in the highlight of the day with his route and catch vs. Campbell on Watson’s bomb.
“That was awesome, wasn’t it? Wasn’t that cool?” Monken said. “I mean, I know I’m an offensive head coach, but hell, you know, you get a draft pick and it’s on one of the most talented guys in the league. So, it’s encouraging, right? That’s what you want to see. You want to see your guys, especially some of your younger draft picks, make some of those plays.”
Brownie bits
Rookie left tackle Spencer Fano and center Parker Brailsford were with the second offensive line when practice started. Each got some reps with the ones later on. Monken said the plan was to ease them in as OTAs progress. “But the other guys got to play better,” Monken said. “I mean, there were times with the ones – [when it was] not good enough. So, you’d love to ease them in, but eventually the easing has to end.” …
The first offensive line had Dawand Jones at left tackle, Zion Johnson at left guard, Elgton Jenkins at center, Teven Jenkins at right guard, and Tyree Phillips at right tackle. Elgton Jenkins, recovering from a leg injury last year, sat out the majority of practice and was replaced at center by Brailsford and Kendrick Green. Phillips was with the first team because Tytus Howard was not in attendance. Eventually, Elgton Jenkins could wind up at left guard and Johnson at right guard. Johnson seemed to acknowledge that when he said, “We’ll play wherever the team needs us to. Right now, they wanted me at left guard and wanted him at center. If that were to change down the line, we’re gonna do whatever we can to help the team win.” …
Running back Quinshon Judkins, who had surgery in December on a dislocated ankle and fractured fibula, practiced hard and showed no signs of discomfort. “Looked pretty good to me,” Monken said. “Obviously, there’s been a couple of days he gets a little sore, which is normal, but no one works harder. And you talk about a competitive spirit … I think his rare trait is he’s a bull. Like, refuses to go down. And we don’t even get to see that here. So, I’m excited.” …
Defensive tackle Mason Graham said he suffered a fractured rib in the San Francisco game on November 30, played with it and completely broke it the following week against Tennessee …
Among the no-shows were Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, Grant Delpit, and Howard. Maliek Collins, who suffered a season-ending quad injury in the 49ers game last year, was also absent. Players on hand who did not practice because of undisclosed injuries were tight end Harold Fannin, defensive end Alex Wright, and running back Dylan Sampson …
For the record, Monken, who was named Browns head coach on January 28, confirmed he still has not met Garrett face-to-face. I asked Graham if he understood why Garrett was not on hand. He said, “I mean, he’s the best player in the NFL, so I’m not taking any thing away from him not showing up. I know he’s got his own life. He’s just a different individual. I know come time on Sunday he’s going to be ready to work.”