Browns coach Todd Monken had a big decision to make at quarterback. In settling on Deshaun Watson over Shedeur Sanders, Monken didn’t spend much time looking at Watson’s past performances.
“I really, to be honest, haven’t looked at it,” Monken told reporters regarding whether he studied Watson’s film from past seasons. “To be honest, only from afar. When people say, ‘You had to look at it,’ well, not really. I looked at it from afar when I was down the road, right? In crossover film or something, but I try to take everything at face value. What I see, right?
“It doesn’t matter what the player is, I think we owe that to our players, guys that are on the roster. I want to go into it thinking every player we have is elite, and all they have to do is prove me right. That’s all they have to do. That’s what I’m going to go into it — they’re on an NFL roster, I expect them to play well, and I just want them to prove me right. And so I really haven’t really looked at that, different staff, different system. We’ll let it play out. We’ll see where it goes starting a week from now.”
Regardless of whether Monken did or didn’t watch much Watson film, his performances from his time with the Texans are ancient history. It was six years ago. And while there’s some value in looking for plays that he has run well in the past, the more pragmatic approach would be to ignore Watson’s play from 2017 through 2020 and focus on things that will work now, with the 30-year-old version of Deshaun Watson.
Browns Clips
When Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson played in a preseason game in Cleveland last month, he was heartily booed.
It clearly bothered him.
When head coach Todd Monken subsequently named Watson QB1 to start the season, fans found more ways to show their displeasure.
While Watson didn’t play in the Browns’ preseason finale last Thursday, he was on the sideline and spent most of his time with a towel over his head — perhaps trying to be as incognito as possible.
But does it bother Monken that Cleveland fans clearly have not wholly embraced his choice for starting quarterback?
“Absolutely not,” Monken said in his Tuesday press conference, via transcript from the team. “Would I prefer that we would all be on the same page? Yeah, but that has nothing to do with my decision, and it can never have anything to do with my decision.
“My decision has got to be about what’s best for the Browns in Week 1 and all the way through the season, and as long as I’m the head coach here.”
To that end, Monken said he has confidence Watson will be able to push the ball down the field to create explosive plays.
“You’re not going to be elite on offense and score points if you can’t create explosives,” Monken said. “It’s so hard to drive the football the length of the field without an explosive. You can look at the studies in terms of percentage of scoring a touchdown or getting a field goal with one explosive in a drive. Obviously, that comes after you’ve gotten the first first down. Every coordinator is going to say we’re chasing explosives, and everyone runs with, ‘Oh [you’re] chasing explosives.’ Well, no shit. Everyone’s chasing explosives and trying to not to turn it over. And that’s what you’re trying to do. What’s the defense trying to do? Turn you over and not allow explosives. That’s really the big chess match is that. The ways that you win.
“So, obviously having explosive players helps that. Being able to scheme it up against certain looks and then being able to execute because your protection has to hold up when you get those opportunities. I’m confident in Deshaun and our ability to push the ball down the field, otherwise we wouldn’t be starting him.”
The Browns announced the signing of defensive end Sam Williams on Tuesday and they also announced the addition of a veteran cornerback.
They have signed Noah Igbinoghene to their 53-man roster. Igbinoghene spent the preseason with the Seahawks, but was released on Sunday.
Igbinoghene played in 32 games and made 12 starts for the Commanders over the last two seasons. He had 35 tackles and a sack last year.
The Browns placed defensive tackle Kalia Davis on injured reserve and waived cornerback Michael Coats in corresponding moves. They also signed defensive tackle Sam Kamara, running back Jaleel McLaughlin, tight end Messiah Swinson, and defensive tackle Chris Williams to their practice squad.
The Browns are planning to make an addition to their defensive line.
Per multiple reports, they intend to sign defensive end Sam Williams to their active roster. Williams was released by the Cowboys on Sunday.
Williams was a 2022 second-round pick in Dallas and had 8.5 sacks over his first two seasons. A torn ACL kept him off the field in 2024, but he played in every game last season and finished the year with 37 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
The Browns were in contact with Za’Darius Smith before he signed with the Falcons, so they’ve been looking for more depth at defensive end for a while and it looks like they’ve settled on Williams as the person to provide it.
The Browns added one player through waivers after roster cuts and now there’s also an indication of the club’s corresponding move.
Cleveland claimed defensive back Toriano Pride after he was waived by the Bills.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Browns are releasing veteran edge rusher Julian Okwara.
Pride was a Bills seventh-round pick in this year’s draft, selected at No. 220 overall.
Okwara joined the Browns in April 2025. While he did not make the 53-man roster, he spent last season on Cleveland’s practice squad. He re-signed with the club in March. He’s appeared in 51 career games with five starts, registering 10.0 career sacks, 15 tackles for loss, and 18 QB hits.
Sunday’s report that quarterback Dillon Gabriel would make the 53-man roster in Cleveland was incorrect, but he has not been waived by the Browns.
The Browns announced that Gabriel has been placed on injured reserve on Sunday. A back injury is cited as the reason for the move, although there was no sign of an issue when Gabriel went 12-of-15 for 186 yards and three touchdowns in the preseason finale.
Deshaun Watson will start at quarterback for the Browns in Week 1. Shedeur Sanders and rookie Taylen Green are also on the 53-man roster with Gabriel able to return after four games.
The Browns also announced tight end Joe Royer will remain on the non-football injury list. He will also have to miss at least four games.
The Browns released cornerback Myles Bryant, defensive tackle Sam Kamara, and cornerback D’Angelo Ross. They waived defensive tackles Travis Bell, Elijah Chatman, and Tyreak Sapp; running backs Davon Booth and Ahmani Marshall; offensive linemen Kinsley Eguakun and K.T. Leveston; defensive ends Logan Fano and Khordae Sydnor; wide receivers Luke Floriea, Gage Larvadain, and Kole Wilson; linebackers Edefuan Ulofoshio and Nathaniel Watson; punter Wes Pahl; and safety Zion Washington.
At least for now, the Browns are going to carry four quarterbacks on their 53-man roster.
Per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, rookie Taylen Green will not be waived as part of the Browns’ roster cuts on Sunday.
It was reported earlier on Sunday that second-year QB Dillon Gabriel has also made the initial 53-man roster.
That means the Browns are set to have Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, Gabriel, and Green all on the roster.
Green, a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft, is considered a developmental prospect. His reps were sparse during training camp in part due to the team’s QB competition between Watson and Sanders.
Green did not make his preseason debut until Thursday night, when he played 48 percent of the team’s offensive snaps. He finished the contest 5-of-7 passing for 27 yards, but also had 66 yards rushing on eight attempts — including a 30-yard run.
Watson is set to start Cleveland’s Week 1 matchup against Jacksonville.
Tackle Jedrick Wills, a former first-round pick of the Browns, sat out the 2025 season in an effort to get healthy before resuming his career.
He eventually selected the Bears. But the Bears are not selecting him for a spot on the 53-man roster.
Via Adam Schefter of ESPN, Wills will be released.
The 10th overall pick in the 2020 draft has 58 regular-season appearances with 57 starts. Because he’s a vested veteran, he will become a free agent once his release is official.
Other teams that hosted Wills before he signed in Chicago were the Patriots and Lions.
The Browns need to figure out what to do with their third- and fourth-string quarterbacks. As to one of them, the decision apparently has been made.
Via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Dillon Gabriel “is set to make” the 53-man roster.
A third-round pick in 2025, Gabriel started six games in 2025. He wowed the home crowd in the preseason finale against the Patriots, with a near-perfect passer rating.
So where does that leave 2026 sixth-rounder Taylen Green? Via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Browns would like to keep him on the 53-man roster, “if they can find a way to do it.”
Releasing Green would subject him to waivers, and put the Browns at risk of losing him to another team. Keeping him would mean having four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster — unless the news of Gabriel being set to make the team was a leak aimed at conjuring an eleventh-hour trade market.
The Browns know what they’ll be doing as to the top two quarterbacks on the depth chart. As to the other two, decision time is coming.
Coach Todd Monken acknowledged after Thursday’s preseason finale that, as to Dillon Gabriel and Taylen Green, “We can’t keep everybody.”
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, after some cuts were already made, Monken was asked whether the team is still grappling with the quarterback issue at the bottom of the depth chart.
“Somewhat,” Monken said. “Like a lot of players, we don’t want to lose any good players that have a future with the Browns, so we’ve still got some discussions to have. But I was very impressed with both Dillon and Taylen. Both did it differently, but Dillon’s at least played. He’s played last year, he’s gotten more reps than Taylen, so he looked like it, and he obviously operated very well. Taylen did the things we thought he would do, which was make some plays with his feet, and there were no issues in terms of the operation.”
The issue is whether to keep either or neither on the roster, with the outside chance of keeping all four. Both Gabriel and Green would be exposed to waivers if released with the idea of signing them to the practice squad.
Gabriel, who had a near-perfect passer rating against the Patriots of 157.9 with three touchdown passes on 15 throws, could be traded. And the most obvious destination would be Atlanta, where former Browns coach Kevin Stefanski has a potential none-of-the-above situation as Week 1 approaches.
The Browns still have time to figure it out. But not much. As of this posting, the deadline to get to 53 is less than 28 hours away.
