BEREA — Browns coach Todd Monken will eventually have a depth chart for the quarterback position. It wasn’t going to be established on the second day of his first voluntary offseason program as a head coach.
“No, not really, because there’s enough there of all three,” Monken said April 8. “I mean, I think we’d all be able to say that. There’s enough there to really like Deshaun [Watson] and the way he plays There’s enough there to really like the way Shedeur [Sanders] played at the back end of the year. And there’s enough early in the year from Dillon [Gabriel] that is playing the position at a very high level.”
Monken talked at the NFL owners meeting at the end of March about how the reps in the quarterback competition were not going to be spread out evenly. That was going to include during the offseason program, although he had also said the depth chart determining who gets what reps was not “written in stone.”
Buy Cleveland Browns tickets
The phase of the offseason program the Browns just started doesn’t include any on-field work, save for strength and conditioning or players working by themselves. It will close out, though, with a three-day voluntary minicamp starting April 21.
Monken’s comments about the reps has generated plenty of discourse since he made them in Phoenix. That discourse doesn’t include the Browns head coach.
“I really, it’s been brought up a lot more to me than really what I think about, other than, yeah, someone’s going to have to start off first and someone’s going to go second, someone’s going to go third,” Monken said. “Then we’ll be willing to switch that. That’s easily, on a daily basis, what we see, just like any position, that’s not set in stone. That’s something we can flip, just like the practice plays. We can flip that any given day to how we see fit that gives us the best chance to develop our players.
“Now, how they go about it, how they study, how they take care of their body, how they manage our team, how they lead, those are set in stone. Those are non-negotiables.”
Watson and, especially, Sanders had been in the building prior to the program’s April 7 start. Monken was able to get the playbook to all three quarterbacks before the start of the offseason program, but wasn’t able to actually go over it with them.
That made the first day of the program the first day Monken, offensive coordinator Travis Switzer and quarterbacks coach Mike Bajakian could actually work with the quarterbacks. However, it did allow them to see what they had absorbed on their own, which left the head coach relatively pleased.
“What we got into for sure,” Monken said. “I mean, each day they’re going to gain more and more information of what we do and what we expect. I was fired up. I mean, I thought all three guys were bright eyed, wanting to learn. I mean, you couldn’t ask for a better start in that QB room.”
Monken said he views the quarterback competition the same way he views any other position battle. To him, “every year’s a new year. It resets every year. I don’t care where you are.”
However, Monken’s also acknowledged there’s a difference with a quarterback battle compared to, say, a fight to be the right guard because of what the job responsibility is for the position.
“It’s a little bit more difficult just because their No. 1 job is to get us in the end zone, and that’s a little bit harder to really drill down, a couple of different reasons why,” Monken said. “One is you’re not playing any games. You don’t have pads on. No one’s live. So you really don’t get a real feel for their athleticism, ability to escape and play make. … And then ultimately, who does the team believe in? And usually that correlates. The team’s going to believe in the guy that gives us the best chance to score and win.
“And when the game’s on the line, whether it’s third downs, fourth downs, two minute, that they feel comfortable like we would want that ball’s in their hands.”
There’s a mobility aspect to Monken’s offense, as well, to take into account. He’s already stated he believes all three quarterbacks are athletic enough to handle the system.
The challenge is figuring out whose athleticism works best without the ability to see a significant amount of live action before the decision is finally reached. That’s something that won’t happen for months.
“That’s probably one of the hardest things over the years when you have athletic quarterbacks you go, ‘Eh, this guy looks a little better in seven on seven,'” Monken said. “Yeah, well the game isn’t seven and seven. It absolutely isn’t. It’s who makes plays? Who’s got an inner toughness to move the offense and get us in the end zone?”
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ. Sign up for Browns Insider newsletter at https://profile.beaconjournal.com/newsletters/browns-insider/
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns coach Todd Monken ‘couldn’t ask for a better start’ in QB room
Reporting by Chris Easterling, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
