The Cleveland Browns began their 2026 NFL preseason against the Chicago Bears, providing a valuable opportunity for their quarterbacks to make their case to head coach Todd Monken. Shedeur Sanders did not have his best performance, throwing an interception, but he maintains that he made the correct read on the play.
“What’d I see? The right read, just slipped. It was the right read, it just slipped,” Sanders said to the press. “That’s what makes me mad a little bit. But any decision I make, I know is the right decision, I just didn’t execute the decision, but the right decision was made. So every day I look at my decision making. How’s my decision-making? That’s how I grade myself.
“Obviously turning the ball over is not great and I won’t survive a long time in the league doing that, but as long as my eyes and my feet and everything were in the right place, being able to execute, it just may happen.”
The quarterback battle in the Dawg Pound is intensifying at this stage of the preseason, with Deshaun Watson emerging as Sanders’ primary competition. Every small mistake could prove decisive in the head coach’s final decision.
Shedeur Sanders #2 of the Cleveland Browns removes his helmet.
A tough debut for Shedeur
In the Cleveland Browns‘ 34–10 preseason loss to the Chicago Bears, Shedeur Sanders played through the third quarter and into the fourth, finishing 6-of-11 for 79 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception.
His outing featured early big plays—including a 24-yard completion to Gage Larvadain and a 35-yard pass to Luke Floriea—but faltered late with multiple tipped passes at the line, a fumbled snap, and an Fourth-quarter interception, posting a 39.6 passer rating overall.
Shedeur Sanders #2 of the Cleveland Browns looks to pass the ball.
More tests ahead for Sanders and Watson
The Dawg Pound will round out their exhibition slate with home matchups against the Buffalo Bills on August 22 and the New England Patriots on August 27, before officially kicking off the regular season on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 13.
Heading into these final tune-ups, Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders remain locked in a heated battle to prove to new head coach Todd Monken that they deserve the starting quarterback job. With final roster cuts looming, both signal-callers must maximize their remaining preseason reps to solidify Monken’s confidence for Week 1.
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