Free-agent safety Shilo Sanders, the brother of Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders, generated headlines for comments he made about longtime Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer after she reported that veteran Deshaun Watson “has the inside track to be named the Browns'” 2026 Week 1 starter.
Shilo initially responded to that story by making a misogynistic remark on social media, and he later explained why he was upset about how Cabot has covered Shedeur. During a recent appearance on Cleveland sports radio station 92.3 The Fan, first-year Browns head coach Todd Monken was asked about what has become the biggest storyline hovering over the franchise this spring.
Browns ignoring outside noise amid Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson competition?
“That’s a man making a comment on social media,” Monken said in reference to Shilo, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “That’s someone reporting something they believe. That’s their opinion. Fine, I’m — not my opinion, I didn’t say that. Our daily inner workings with the quarterbacks and the players is gonna mean more than what is said outside of there.”
Watson reportedly impressed during the Browns’ voluntary minicamp, so much so that he would be the team’s QB1 “if the season started tomorrow.” That said, one would think Shedeur Sanders still has plenty of time to make things interesting between the first Monday of May and Cleveland’s final preseason game in August.
Additionally, Watson’s injury history suggests there’s no guarantee he will be fully fit by the time September arrives. Thus, Shedeur can’t afford to get too discouraged, even if it’s true that Watson is currently penciled in atop the Cleveland depth chart this spring.
Todd Monken issues challenge to Browns players after Shilo Sanders’ comments
“Ultimately, do I believe that our players look at social media? Of course,” Monken continued. “Do I? Yes. I mean, do most of us? Yes, that’s the world we live in. But ultimately, with the players, like, I think that has changed over the last few years of how do you get your players to deal with things that are being said about them, good or bad? How do you manage that? I think that is a real challenge, but ultimately, like I said, if that’s gonna be what defines you, then you’re gonna struggle to be either the head coach, be an offensive coordinator, or be our quarterback.”
Eventually, Shedeur Sanders’ play rather than anything said by an outsider will determine whether he begins Week 1 as Cleveland’s starter or QB2. Then again, the Browns could always make Sanders available to other teams and then roll with 2025 rookie Dillon Gabriel and 2026 sixth-round draft pick Taylen Green on their roster.