The Cleveland Browns finished up day two of their latest series of Organized Team Activities on Wednesday, and to no one’s surprise, the focus remained on the quarterbacks.
As promised, head coach Todd Monken had the team running two-spot drills, with quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel working with the first-team offense and Shedeur Sanders and rookie Taylen Green working with the second-team offense, according to media reports.
During the only time that Monken ran a full-speed 11-on-11 drill, the order was Sanders, Gabriel, and then Watson.
Too much is often made of who is doing what at this time, with some media outlets posting a “quarterback tracker” with a tally of the day’s “stats.” (For what it’s worth, Watson had a touchdown pass, while Sanders and Gabriel each threw an interception, according to ESPN Cleveland.)
Still, it is the Browns and quarterbacks, so let’s take a quick run through what Monken had to say after the day’s work (all quotes courtesy of a team-provided transcript.)
Have there been any surprises from the quarterbacks so far?
“Deshaun’s athleticism shows up. Obviously, he’s had that, but he’s had injuries that have set him back. I wouldn’t say it’s a surprise, but it’s exciting to see – it’s a weapon for him. It’s one of his superpowers, his athleticism. And I think Shedeur’s come miles in terms of his progressions, getting the ball out, and his understanding of concepts. I think he’s really, really come a long way.”
How about the idea of giving Watson one more chance to show the Browns he still has it?
“I think everybody would say it – I’m all for a clean slate. I want the best for every player we have, every coach – I want the best for everybody in this world to have a great life. I think it’s really cool that he still has an opportunity, with a change, to showcase his ability and see where he’s at. I’m all for it.
“I know I’ve said that like five times today, but here’s a guy that at this point has made plenty of money – I think we all know that. He’s had plenty of success and has had disappointment in his career, a number of things he couldn’t control from an injury standpoint. But to come back and want to battle, want to further his career and change the narrative – I think it’s really cool.”
What about those interceptions?
“Yeah, we threw interceptions in seven-on-seven, for God’s sake. I mean, who does that? There’s no pass rush. I mean, it’s embarrassing.”
Yeah, welcome to Cleveland, coach, where embarrassing is kind of the default setting!