Deshaun Watson’s sudden resurgence and a dominant defensive front define days of the training camp for the Cleveland Browns. Who else is standing out and who is falling behind?
10 days down, and Cleveland Browns training camp is heating up as preseason games arrive in less than a week.
New head coach Todd Monken has quite a few critical decisions to make in the coming weeks, which will set the tone for his team in 2026 season.
So where do things stand at some of the key battles across the roster? Here are the winners and losers of training camp so far.
Winners
Deshaun Watson
A few days ago, Watson probably would have been part of the losers list. Over the course of the first six days of camp, the veteran QB had been much too inconsistent throwing the football.
Something flipped, though, on Wednesday, which was Watson's strongest day of camp at the time. He put together two more strong days on Friday and Saturday, the latter of which saw him take all of the first-team reps on a day that Shedeur Sanders' was supposed to run with the ones and suddenly he appears to be the front-runner for the starting job.
There's still a lot to play out. But his last few days, combined with the fact that he seems to have Monken's trust, have him squarely in the winners section.
The D-Line
Arguably, the biggest winners of camp have been the entire defensive line. Besides Saturday, when the offense was finally able to find some noticeable success in the trenches, the D-line had been the most dominant position group on the field day over day.
Jared Verse, Mason Graham, Alex Wright, even Isaiah McGuire and Mike Hall Jr. – before he went down with an injury – have blown up so many plays over the course of 10 days. Myles Garrett may be gone, but the early returns suggest this group has barely missed a beat.
Quincy Williams
Williams has been seen (and heard) every single day of practice. He is constantly sticking his nose in plays all over the field in the run game and the passing game. He's snared and interception already as well.
The duo of Williams and Carson Schwesinger has a chance to truly become one of the most dynamic linebacker duos in the NFL once the latter is healthy.
Rookie Wide Receivers
Nobody, and I mean nobody, has had a better spring and summer than rookie WR Denzel Boston. He has been as consistent as they come and quite literally catches everything. So much so, in fact, that on Day 6, he dropped the first pass I've seen, and it was like seeing Bigfoot in the wild. He's looking like a real weapon for this offense.
Meanwhile, KC Concepcion has seemingly erased any concerns people may have had about his drops in college. Sure, he's had more drops than Boston, but his ability to go up and make some acrobatic catches has been on full display, as has his ability to run after the catch.
This next statement is no hyperbole: Boston and Concepcion are already the Browns best WRs.
Tylan Wallace
Sticking with the wide receiver theme, Tylan Wallace has had a steady presence rotating in at wide receiver for Cleveland. He's probably compiled one of the best highlight reels of camp, given how often he's making plays for the offense.
Add in his ability to return kicks and he already feels like a lock to make this roster come August 30.
Shedeur Sanders*#
It is undeniable that Sanders is a better football player than he was when the 2025 season ended. He's put in a lot of work to improve his footwork and his overall game and is right in the thick of this QB competition because of those efforts.
He's also put together a really impressive camp to this point, protecting the football, while making some really nice throws day-after day.
So why the asterisks? Well, Saturday felt like a pretty big loss for Sanders. Monken changing the rotation in order to give Watson the first-team reps at practice in lieu of Sanders seems like a pretty telling statement from Cleveland's new head man.
The competition isn't over by any means, but if Monken is already signalling Watson is the front-runner, Sanders still has a lot to prove in the coming weeks.
Losers
Day 10 was arguably their best day of camp. From the skirmish between Verse and Fano to the offense finally being able to hold up and make some plays throughout practice, Saturday was a good day for the o-line.
That said, up until that point, it had been tough sledding for the o-line for most of camp. There have been stretches of days Verse, Graham and Wright have simply lived in the backfield racking up would-be sacks and run stuffs. There are still some kinks to iron out with this new-look o-line.
Corners Not Named Denzel Ward or Tyson Campbell
Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell have been phenomenal all of camp so far. And to be fair, top nickel corner Myles Harden has held his own. It's been a rough camp for most of the others in the cornerback room.
It's become almost a given that if there's a big play in the passing game D'Angelo Ross or Tre Avery on the receiving end of it. Michael Coats Jr. has probably stood out the most as an undrafted rookie, but the group as a whole remains a major weakness for the Browns.
Tight Ends Not Named Harold Fannin Jr.
Harold Fannin Jr. is a star in the making; everyone knows that. But the once-promising group of players behind him hasn't popped at camp as much as I was anticipating.
It doesn't help that rookie Joe Royer is away from the team for personal reasons. And while there have been some moments for Blake Whiteheart, Jack Stoll, and even Brenden Bates, a true complement to Fannin Jr. has yet to reveal itself just yet.
