Just when you think you have figured out where the quarterback competition of the Cleveland Browns is headed, a blindside sack knocks the wind out of predictions. That’s exactly what happened on Day 10 of their training camp. Head coach Todd Monken, at the start of the day, said that second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders will take the majority of first-team reps. What happened next caused 92.3 The Fan’s Daryl Ruiter to call out coach Monken on camera.

“I don’t know if this was intentional, but Todd Monken pulled a fast one on us because before practice he told us, Shedeur Sanders, it was his day to get the first-team reps,” Ruiter said. “Lo and behold! Practice comes, the 7-on-7, the 11-on-11s, Deshaun Watson all day. It was Deshaun.

“And then, what was interesting about the development was that Shedeur seemed to take the fewest snaps with the twos that we have seen in camp. He shared those with Dillon Gabriel up until probably the last two 11-on-11 series and 7-on-7 series of the afternoon when it was Shedeur Sanders getting those number two reps, but that was hard to miss today after what coach had told us before practice.”

Whenever the question of QB1 came up this offseason, Coach Monken has preached evaluating all four quarterbacks before deciding anything. He even noted that Shedeur and Deshaun would each start one preseason game in the last leg of their evaluation. But sliding him to the twos on a day that was supposed to be all about Sanders and the first team has now raised serious questions.

Now, Deshaun Watson has struggled with accuracy throughout this camp, aside from a very good outing on Day 7. To make matters worse, the Dawg Pound has already booed him once at camp. Coach Monken may have simply given him the first-team reps on Day 10 to get him better acclimated to the team now that the installs are over. And Watson did have a better day compared to Sanders and Gabriel.

Per ESPN Cleveland’s QB tracker, Sanders went 16-of-20 for no touchdowns and no picks with the second team, while Gabriel, his second-year counterpart, went 5-of-12. Watson, meanwhile, completed 23 of 34 passes for 4 touchdowns and no picks – clearly a good outing. But two good days of practice wouldn’t appease a Dawg Pound that once cheered when Watson tore his Achilles – especially when Sanders has been amassing praises and making plays throughout this offseason.

“So Shedeur, he looked great,” CBS’ Aditi Kinkhabwala had said after last Thursday’s practice. “There is very obviously growth from a year ago. He looks more comfortable; he’s getting rid of the ball faster. The operation looks very clean in terms of managing the huddle and getting the play to the huddle and then getting the play run.”

So why shelve a 24-year-old QB with a high ceiling in favor of a 30-year-old who only gave 19 starts in four seasons? This is the last year of Deshaun Watson’s contract, meaning this is the last year they can get a decent return from the $230 million gamble made on him in 2022. Watson’s made it clear that he’s open to a new deal after 2026, and Monken might also be evaluating if another investment would be worth it. Whatever the case, Todd Monken has to have a solid reason for his decision, and a good answer ready for the Dawg Pound’s questions.