Rookies Spencer Fano and Denzel Boston leap into first-team reps, while Todd Monken explains his unexpected switch-up with the Cleveland Browns QB competition.
The first preseason game week is here and despite a notable change in the rotation of quarterbacks over the weekend, the Cleveland Browns QB battle continued on Monday, as camp resumed.
Keep tabs on each day of training camp with our daily recaps from Berea.
Day 11 Headlines
Quarterbacks
After Todd Monken unexpectedly put Deshaun Watson with the first team on Saturday (more on that to come), Monday was Shedeur Sanders' day to run with the first-team offense ahead of Saturday's preseason showdown with the Chicago Bears
The thing that stood out the most about Sanders on Day 11 was his decisiveness. He wasn't holding the ball too long or drifting in the pocket while trying to keep plays alive. Instead, on numerous occasions, he dropped back and just take what the defense was giving him on check downs, outlets and shorter throws.
As practice progressed, he was able to make some solid throws to other levels of the field. He also put together a nice red-zone, 11-on-11 session, where he came away with three TDs and almost a fourth on a ball to Denzel Boston in the corner, but Boston couldn't quite get a second foot down.
His practice ended in a disappointing moment during a one-minute offense drill that saw the offense commit three consecutive procedural penalties and get thrown off the field by Monken.
The second team, led by Deshaun Watson came in next and had a promising drive ended by a false start, inducing an angry Monken to throw his walkie-talkie. So neither of the top QBs had a great end to practice.
Watson's red zone work produced two touchdowns, while there were a mix of good and bad throws throughout the other 11-on-11 sessions of practice. In general, it wasn't really a stellar day for either offensive unit with several drops and off-target throws rearing their ugly head.
Dillon Gabriel only threw eight passes on the day, splitting second-team reps with Watson. Monken made it clear that no decision has been made quite yet on which QB will start on Saturday.
O-Line Roulette
Monken kept his promise to have Fano run with the first team. The full first-team unit was made up of:
Tytus Howard at RT, Teven Jenkins at RG, Elgton Jenkins at C, Zion Johnson at LG, Fano at LT.
As for the second team, it was:
Austin Barber at RT, KT Leveston at RG, Luke Wypler at C, Jack Conley at LG and Dawand Jones at LT.
Working With The 1s
Monken also announced before practice that rookies Spencer Fano and Denzel Boston would be seeing an increased presence with the first team starting Monday. It's a testament to the work they had each put in to this point.
Boston has been the team's brightest star dating back to the spring and has seemingly caught everything that's been thrown his way. For Fano, Monken noted that his performance on Saturday, which included a skirmish with new defensive end Jared Verse, solidified the team's decision to officially end his rotation with Dawand Jones
Injuries and Absences
Per usual, TE Joe Royer remains away from the team due to personal reasons.
Players not practicing in practice included: LB Carson Schwesinger, CB Myles Bryant, FB Michael Burton, DT Kalia Davis, DT Mike Hall Jr., DT Sam Kamara, T Elijah Chatman, T Izavion Miller, G Zak Zinter, C Parker Brailsford and a new addition TE Jack Stoll.
Meanwhile, LB Justin Jefferson, who was absent Saturday, DE Logan Fano, who left Saturday's practice with a trainer and Damarri Mathis were all back at practice.
Play of the Day
Back-to-back practices with a shoutout for KC Concepcion. He made another nice catch on Monday during the first round of 11-on-11 work, with Sanders looking his way on an out route that left the rookie contorting his body to turn back inside to make the catch.
The No. 24 overall pick continues to prove that drops won't be an issue.
Player of the Day
Isaiah McGuire gets the nod today. He absolutely stuffed a run play during the second round of 11-on-11s, blowing by Harold Faninn Jr. to wrap up Quinshon Judkins in the backfield. He was mobbed and celebrated by his defensive teammates afterwards.
McGuire made his presence felt a number of times throughout practice, to continue the defensive line's run of dominance throughout these first 11 days.
Quote of the Day
A pretty straightforward one today. It was Monken's explanation for switching up the rotation between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders on Saturday, which left everyone in a tizzy over the weekend.
"Shedeur on Saturday took the ones in the walk-[through], so I anticipated him being with the ones," Monken said. "When I walked out, guys grabbed me and said, 'hey, the last couple days we've been kind of looking at it. Shedeur's got a few more reps with the ones.' That's all it was. I wasn't even at the moment— I was like, yeah, sure, we'll flip it, and then next week we'll go the other way. I sure as hell wasn't thinking about coming back in here and telling all you guys that I was going to change my mind. Because I really don't have to."
What's Next?
Tuesday will mark Day 12 of training camp and the second-to-last session that will be open to the public this summer. Practice is slated to start around 1:30 pm, with gates opening around 12:30 pm, weather permitting.
