While Browns head coach Todd Monken again declined to announce who will start at quarterback in the club’s first preseason game, he did give reporters an idea of planned playing time during his Wednesday press conference.
Monken said he would inform the two quarterbacks, Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson, of his plan after Wednesday’s practice. But both will play in the game.
“One’s going to start this week, the other’s going to start next week,” Monken said. “I would like to see the quarterback play a half and get a two-minute [drive]. We’re going to do everything we can to try to get a two-minute, simulate that before the half. And we’re going to try to do the exact same thing the next week.”
The quarterback who doesn’t start, Monken added, will play the third quarter.
Monken said he has his reasons for proceeding the way he will with whoever starts at QB this week and on Aug. 22 against the Bills.
“Somewhere along the line, you’ve got to pick somebody,” Monken said. “It’s still a competition. We’re still excited to watch guys practice today, let alone on Saturday, and then next week against Buffalo. We’ll get a chance to see them both. And every week we’ll assess it.”
While Monken plans to play the starting offensive line for much of the first half with the first quarterback, he said the first OL will not be in with the starting quarterback the entire time.
“We’ll see where [the Bears are] at in terms of who they’re playing up front,” Monken said. “I think it’d be unfair to our quarterbacks — either game — to not have our guys up front to give our quarterback a chance to function. So that will be predicated on what the Bears do a little bit. Now, there’s going to come a point where if they played their starters for three quarters, we’re not going to do that. But ultimately, we want to give our quarterbacks a chance to function — no matter who they put out there, just collectively as a group, both weeks.”
With Monken informing the quarterbacks of his decision after practice, word of the plan seems likely to emerge later on Wednesday.
