Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson aren’t waiting for training camp to start building chemistry with the Cleveland Browns’ skill players. The two quarterbacks, locked in a genuine competition for the starting job, recently co-hosted a passing session in Miami with several of the team’s top receivers — a move that speaks to how the Browns’ quarterback battle is being handled behind the scenes.
Sanders addressed the workout Sunday while speaking at his youth football camp in Cleveland, telling Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com that keeping the quarterback room united matters more than any individual rivalry.
“I would say it’s the same thing that we’ve been saying from Day 1,” Sanders said. “We’re both trying to be the best version of ourselves we could be. So we’re not going to let anything get in between of that. So it’s a level of respect that we all in the quarterback room have for each other.”
He didn’t stop there. Sanders described a working relationship built on borrowing from each other rather than guarding turf.
“And we’re not really emotional when it comes to things that we can’t control. We mainly focus on and thrive on getting better in the work every day. So if I like something he’s doing, I ask. If he likes something I do, then [he] asks. It’s conversation, and that’s what’s most effective.”
That’s a mature approach for a second-year passer who has already been the subject of national scrutiny since draft night. It’s also a necessary one — whichever quarterback wins the job will need the other’s cooperation, not resentment, to keep the offense functional.
Browns Receivers Join the Miami Session
Sanders wasn’t working out alone with Watson. Jerry Jeudy, Isaiah Bond, Cedric Tillman, KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston were among the wideouts at the Miami workouts, according to Cabot’s reporting. Getting the team’s top pass catchers on the field with both quarterbacks ahead of camp should help tighten timing before the pads come on and the competition intensifies for real.
Sanders made clear the trip wasn’t just about routes and reps. There was a group element to it that he came back talking about almost as much as the football.
“I think it was extremely important that us as a group, for whoever was available, was available to come down to Miami. And there were a couple other players [whose] schedules didn’t align with it, but it’s all good for those that came and stuff. It was truly amazing. And we felt a different type of bond just outside of the facility, outside of these things.”
Sanders added that the group is committed to keeping that same energy going once camp opens in Berea. “And we all vow to continue doing our part and keep it going while we’re here. Those relationships and how funny it is when you have a lot of dialogue and in different situations where a lot of your teammates is very fun and it’s exciting. You create these real memories, these real bonds, and it’s irreplaceable. So I’m truly thankful that it happened. I know everybody that came was excited and we had a great time.”
The session lines up with reporting from other outlets. According to Yahoo Sports, wide receiver Jamari Thrash and running back Dylan Sampson also took part in the Miami work, rounding out a group focused specifically on offensive timing rather than individual competition.
Why the QB Room Dynamic Matters Now
Sanders enters camp with momentum. He took over starting duties in Week 12 of the 2025 season and held the job the rest of the way, while Watson spent the year on the physically unable to perform list recovering from a second Achilles rupture. Browns general manager Andrew Berry said at the February NFL Scouting Combine that the team intended to let Watson compete for the job once healthy, and that competition is now the headline storyline of the 2026 offseason heading into camp.
New head coach Todd Monken, who replaced Kevin Stefanski this offseason, has not named a starter and has indicated the battle will carry into camp practices rather than being settled beforehand. That’s a departure from a spring in which some expected Cleveland to name a QB1 before pads came on. Instead, both passers will need joint buy-in from the receiver room and the rest of the offense regardless of who wins the job — which is likely part of why the two quarterbacks chose to organize a shared session rather than separate camps.
There’s a practical scheme reason for that cooperation, too. A receiver corps that has built rapport with both quarterbacks avoids the drop-off in timing and route chemistry that usually comes when a competition drags into the season and a new starter is named mid-year, as happened with Sanders himself last season.
What Comes Next
Browns rookies are scheduled to report to training camp on Thursday, July 23, with veterans following on Tuesday, July 28, at the CrossCountry Mortgage Campus in Berea. The Sanders-Watson battle is expected to be one of the most closely watched competitions across the entire AFC North this summer, with both quarterbacks getting extended first-team reps once practices begin in pads.
