Sanders touts 'new vibe' under Browns' Monken

BEREA, Ohio -- After the first practice of the Cleveland Browns' three-day voluntary veteran minicamp, quarterback Shedeur Sanders said there is a "new vibe" and "new energy" with first-year coach Todd Monken and his staff.

And perhaps for good reason. One year after Sanders was fourth in line in Cleveland's quarterback competition under former head coach Kevin Stefanski, Sanders was back in the No. 2 jersey he has worn throughout his football career (after wearing No. 12 last season) and first up for team drills Tuesday, splitting starting reps with Deshaun Watson.

"Coach Monken's great and all the other coaches on the staff are extremely great," Sanders said Tuesday. "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, started the final seven games of the season for the Browns, who finished 5-12. Sanders was 3-4 as a starter and helped lead Cleveland to victories against the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals in the final two games of the season. He now finds himself in a quarterback competition with Watson, who did not play in 2025 as he rehabbed from his 2024 Achilles tear, and Dillon Gabriel, a 2025 third-round pick who started six games as a rookie.

Monken said the plan Tuesday was to get Sanders most of the practice reps in the team drills but divvy up opportunities for all of the team's quarterbacks. Monken reiterated that the quarterback reps can change from day to day.

"I thought they were in command. I never felt at one time like they were lost," Monken said.

Sanders spent much of the offseason working out in Cleveland and met Monken, who was the Baltimore Ravens' offensive coordinator for the past three seasons, in the Browns' facility on his first day as head coach. Monken embraced the second-year quarterback with a hug and ribbed Sanders about trying to draft him while in Baltimore.

The relationship has continued to burgeon, with Sanders recently gifting Monken a horse head for his birthday.

"I think Coach just spoke life into me," Sanders said of Monken. "And then when you do that, you just get the best result for me, honestly."