Training camp arrives this week for the Cleveland Browns and new head coach Todd Monken looks to set the tone for his football team ahead of the 2026 season. 

A major part of that will be sorting out the roster over the next month to, ultimately, whittle it down to 53 players. Getting there will come with some difficult decisions, determined by a number of critical battles set to take place in the coming weeks. 

Here are the five must-watch position battles at Browns camp. 

Obviously. The battle between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders for the starting job will be Monken's No. 1 priority to sort out in camp. It feels like Watson will enter with a slight edge, but Sanders certainly closed the gap in the spring. 

Even down the deoth chart though, who comes away as QB3 is another role that must be sorted out. The assumption is that Dillon Gabriel ia the odd man out, leaving rookie Taylen Green as the third quarterback on the depth chart, but maybe not.

Priority No. 2 for Monken is finalizing the starting five of his offensive line. The Browns' new head man made it known that four of the five starters are settled. Spencer Fano, Tytus Howard, Zion Johnson and Elgton Jenkins are virtual locks, but Jenkins doesn't know exactly where he'll play yet and that's where this competition comes in. 

The goal is to find an option to start at guard or center, and Jenkins will play the other. This is really a competition between the other guards and centers. Teven Jenkins is the top guard option, while rookie Parker Brailsford represents a promising option at center. How that last role shakes out will be a critical decision for the offense. 

The biggest question mark on offense resides at the nickel cornerback spot. Myles Harden played nearly 430 snaps in the slot last year and should get plenty of run there again at training camp. 

However, other options exist in the safety group too. Ronnie Hickman spent 71 snaps in the slot in 2025 and now Emmanuel McNeil-Warren has arrived as a versatile weapon who can play just about anywhere from the slot, the box and deep. It's likely Cleveland will deploy a mix of players in the role, but training camp will reveal who Mike Rutenberg will primarily lean on. 

Harold Fannin Jr. is a star in the making, but behind him, a fun battle for the No. 2 spot resides. What's more, each player seems to offer something different.

Rookie Joe Royer is a play-maker, who broke Travis Kelce's record for receptions in a season by a tight end at Cincinnati. Free agent addition Jack Stoll thrives more as an in-line blocker at the position. Seventh-round pick Carsen Ryan has versatility to do both, and could factor into the fullback conversation as well. Then there's also Blake Whiteheart and Brenden Bates, who have both spent some time in Cleveland the last few years. 

With Monken likely to utilize 12 personnel quite a bit this season, whoever emerges as the second tight end will have an important role in the offense. 

Back to the o-line for this one, where another important battle will take place for the top swing tackle. Dawand Jones has not spent time at both tackle spots during his first three seasons, but injuries have kept him from establishing any real consistency at either spot. 

Meanwhile, rookie Austin Barber could make a run at the role with a strong camp. Barber spent time on both sides of the o-line during his career at Florida, and this past season was on the Outland Award watch list.  

Those two seem like the most likely options for the role, but perhaps others could emerge in the coming weeks.