Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson are engaging in what is expected to be one of the NFL’s tightest quarterback battles ahead of the 2026 season.
Despite the competition, Sanders insisted while hosting a free youth football camp in Brooklyn, Ohio, that the two have a good working relationship and are trying to help one another improve.
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“I would say it’s the same thing that we’ve been saying from Day 1,” Sanders said, per Cleveland.com. “We’re both trying to be the best version of ourselves we could be. So we’re not going to let anything get in between that. So it’s a level of respect that we all in the quarterback room have for each other.
“And we’re not really emotional when it comes to things that we can’t control. We mainly focus on and thrive on getting better in the work every day. So if I like something he’s doing, I ask. If he likes something I do, then [he] asks. It’s conversation, and that’s what’s most effective.”
Sanders is coming off a rookie season during which he started seven games for the Browns. He led the team to a 3-4 record in seven starts while completing 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The 2025 fifth-round pick had begun his time in Cleveland as a fourth-string quarterback before slowly climbing up the depth chart.
By comparison, Watson didn’t play at all in 2025 after tearing his right Achilles tendon twice in the span of three months. He spent the entire campaign recovering and has only played 19 total games in his four seasons with the Browns to date.
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Even so, first-year coach Todd Monken has been impressed with each quarterback. He noted in June that both “functioned at a high level” during offseason activities and that he wouldn’t name a starter before training camp because of that.
“They’ve both played well enough to earn the right to compete to start,” Monken said at the time.
But again, Sanders and Watson haven’t let that competition get in the way of their relationship. In fact, they have used it as a springboard to try to build chemistry with their teammates, as the two co-hosted a passing camp in Miami ahead of training camp.
Sanders referred to his experience working with his teammates during that camp as “truly amazing.”
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“I think it was extremely important that us as a group, for whoever was available, was available to come down to Miami,” Sanders said. “And there were a couple other players that schedules didn’t align with it, but it’s all good for those that came and stuff. It was truly amazing. And we felt a different type of bond just outside of the facility, outside of these things.
“And we all vow to continue doing our part and keep it going while we’re here. Those relationships and how funny it is when you have a lot of dialogue and in different situations where a lot of your teammates is very fun and it’s exciting. You create these real memories, these real bonds, and it’s irreplaceable. So I’m truly thankful that it happened. I know everybody that came was excited and we had a great time.”
Sanders and Watson will each be hoping the repetitions they got with their teammates in Miami will help them once Cleveland’s training camp begins. Browns rookies are set to report to camp on July 23 while veterans will join them on July 28.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shedeur Sanders opens up about Browns QB battle, Deshaun Watson
