Browns final OTA and minicamp QB tracker update doesn't bode well for Shedeur Sanders

The Cleveland Browns have one of the more interesting quarterback battles leading up to the 2026 NFL season around the NFL. Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders are competing to be the QB for the Browns offense in 2026.

While there have been moments leaning towards Watson being named the starter, and others with Sanders the frontrunner, OTAs and Mandatory minicamp are finally over, with the final statistical tally from 7-on-7's and 11-on-11s.

ESPN Cleveland shared the final statistics from this quarterback competition, and unfortunately for Sanders, things don't bode well for him to win this battle.

Browns QB stats from OTAs don't bode well for Shedeur Sanders

"The Browns' offseason practices are a wrap!" ESPN Cleveland shared. "Here's the combined totals for all the QBs in team drills (11vs11 and 7v7) during open practices. Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders were the only QBs to take 1st team reps."

Looking at the comparison between these four quarterbacks, it's becoming clear where each QB stands. The final results for Sanders and Watson are very interesting, but paint a negative picture for Sanders.

Sanders went 79-for-113 with five touchdowns and three interceptions. Watson went 90-for-133 with 13 touchdowns and three interceptions.

Both QBs threw three interceptions, but Watson, while having 20 extra attempts, completed 11 more passes and had six more touchdowns than Sanders during OTAs and mandatory minicamp.

MORE: Taylen Green has a much higher ceiling for Browns than Shedeur Sanders

These numbers favor Watson being the starter if Todd Monken were only to make this decision based on these statistics. A 67.6 completion percentage for Watson compared to a 69.9 completion percentage for Sanders isn't enough to make up the TD difference.

Outside of Sanders and Watson, Taylen Green went 1-for-1 with no touchdowns or interceptions and is firmly the developmental QB on the roster.

Meanwhile, Dillon Gabriel went 19-for-32 with two TDs and four interceptions, and if it wasn't clear before, he's firmly in third place in this QB competition.

While it would be premature to determine the starting QB for the Browns based solely on these OTA and mandatory minicamp statistics, they currently favor Watson, and don't bode well for Sanders due to the huge touchdown difference.

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