The Cleveland Browns‘ offseason has been dominated by the quarterback competition between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson. Things escalated last week when head coach Todd Monken gave Watson the first-team reps over Sanders despite previously saying that the second-year quarterback would take them. While Monken has already addressed his change of mind, Sanders has now also spoken out and shared his own thoughts on the situation.

“There was never a miscommunication between us,” Sanders said on Wednesday. “I don’t really appreciate sometimes when things happen, and y’all just jump on the coach like he’s tripping.”

On Saturday, 45 minutes before the practice kicked off, Monken had said that Sanders was scheduled to receive the first-team reps. Instead, Watson took all of the first-team reps in both 7-on-7 and 11-on-11, while Sanders worked with the second team. As that went down, criticism followed, and Monken found himself amid scrutiny for snubbing the 24-year-old. However, the head coach later explained why he changed the plan, which only added confusion.

“Shedeur on Saturday took the ones in the [walkthrough],” Monken said, clearing his stance on the decision. “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 gotten 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 next week we’ll go the other way.

“I sure as hell wasn’t thinking about coming back here and telling all you guys that I was going to change my mind, um, because I really don’t have to,” he quipped. “So that’s just the way, being the head coach, I can kind of do that. Ultimately, Shedeur’s going to go today with the ones, unless on the way out I change my mind, and then he won’t, OK?”

But things shifted at the Browns training camp this Monday. When the team returned Monday after its Sunday day off, Sanders took first-team reps. Watson, meanwhile, worked primarily with the second team, while Dillon Gabriel received a handful of reps. In the process, Shedeur Sanders connected with Dylan Sampson during an 11-on-11 period. Later, the quarterback connected with tight end Harold Fannin Jr. for two touchdowns during 11-on-11 work in the red Zone.

On Tuesday, however, Watson took most of the first-team reps, while Sanders took the majority of his reps with the second team. Still, Sanders managed to connect with TE Brenden Bates across the middle of the field during the first 11-on-11 period before finding wide receiver Tylan Wallace for a solid gain. So it’s safe to say that while Monken found himself amid scrutiny for his change of plans on Saturday, the head coach is now splitting the first-team reps between both quarterbacks ahead of the 2026 season.