Observations from Day 1 of voluntary veteran minicamp The Cleveland Browns began their voluntary veteran minicamp on April 21, 2026, marking the first opportunity for the team’s new coaching staff under head coach Todd Monken to work with players during the offseason program. The three-day event, running through April 23, focused on evaluating the quarterback competition and refining team dynamics. Monken expressed satisfaction with the initial session, highlighting the players’ adaptability and the progress made despite the condensed timeline. The minicamp’s first day featured structured drills designed to assess the quarterbacks’ readiness. All three quarterbacks—Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson, and Dillon Gabriel—participated in team periods, rotating through individual and group drills. Monken explained that the practice plan aimed to balance reps among the quarterbacks while giving Sanders a slight edge due to his early reps in the first 11-on-11 period. The drills included a mix of handoffs to running backs and live plays, with the coaching staff emphasizing the importance of evaluating each quarterback’s ability to lead and execute under pressure. In the first 11-on-11 period, Sanders started with handoffs to running backs Dylan Sampson and Raheim Sanders. The second team period incorporated more live action, with Sanders connecting with tight end Harold Fannin Jr. on the opening play. Watson followed, demonstrating his ability to move the ball with a handoff to Sampson and later completing passes to Fannin, Jack Stoll, Tylan Wallace, and Malachi Corley. Gabriel, who took over in the 7-on-7 drills, connected with Caden Prieskorn on consecutive passes before a pass was intercepted.#cleveland_browns #todd_monken #dillon_gabriel #shedeur_sanders #deshaun_watson
Shedeur Sanders says Todd Monken brings 'new vibe' to Browns Shedeur Sanders, the Cleveland Browns' second-year quarterback, described the coaching staff under first-year head coach Todd Monken as bringing a "new vibe" and "new energy" to the team during the first practice of the Browns' three-day voluntary veteran minicamp. Sanders, who wore the No. 2 jersey for the first time since his college days, emphasized the positive impact of Monken's leadership and the overall coaching staff, which he said fosters both personal connection and daily competition. "Coach Monken's great and all the other coaches on the staff are extremely great," Sanders said. "They're going to understand and embrace you just as a person, and then they push you each and every day in the meeting room, on the field, in the weight room. It's a new vibe, a new energy." Sanders, the 144th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, entered the 2025 season as the fourth quarterback in Cleveland's competition under former head coach Kevin Stefanski. However, he quickly rose to prominence, starting the final seven games of the season and earning the No. 2 jersey for the 2025 campaign. During that stretch, Sanders compiled a 3-4 record as a starter, leading the Browns to victories against division rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals in the final two games of the season. Despite the team's overall 5-12 record, Sanders' performances in those critical matchups highlighted his potential as a leader. This season, Sanders finds himself in a quarterback competition with Deshaun Watson, who missed the 2025 season due to rehabilitation from a 2024 Achilles tear, and Dillon Gabriel, the 2025 third-round pick who started six games as a rookie.#cleveland_browns #todd_monken #dillon_gabriel #shedeur_sanders #deshaun_watson
