Did Todd Monken Make The Wrong Call By Benching Shedeur Sanders After His Best Cleveland Browns Performance?

Shedeur Sanders threw for 297 yards and still lost the Cleveland Browns starting job© Image via: X/@NFL

Shedeur Sanders threw for 297 yards and two touchdowns, and he still lost his job. That is the strange math facing the Cleveland Browns this week. Head coach Todd Monken picked Deshaun Watson to start Sunday, November 15, against the Houston Texans, and Sanders, just 24 years old, goes back to the bench. Meanwhile, a hallway chat about play calls has turned into a loud, messy national debate. FOX host Dan Dakich says Monken made a young passer look bad in public. Here is what really happened, what the numbers say, and why it matters.

Shedeur Sanders Impresses, Yet Deshaun Watson Keeps the Cleveland Browns Starting Quarterback Job

The Cleveland Browns lost 23-22 to the New Orleans Saints on November 8 after a failed two-point try in overtime. Sanders was not the problem. He hit 19 of 31 passes with no interceptions and a 114.6 passer rating. He found rookie KC Concepcion for 64 yards, then Harold Fannin Jr. for 39 in overtime.

Watson, 31, is 5-3 as a starter with a 91.2 rating, right near league average. Monken said, “I won't look at it week-to-week.” He added, “I anticipate (Watson) being our starter. That's what he's been. He's been our starter.”

It's clear the Browns want Shedeur Sanders as QB1. The entire offense is saying it without saying it. https://t.co/cDVXvZX6Vm

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 13, 2026

Cleveland is 5-4 and has four home games in the next five weeks.

Dan Dakich Blasts Todd Monken Over the Shedeur Sanders Play Suggestion Story

Dan Dakich did not hold back on OutKick's Don't @ Me.

“I know he's full of s*** because he keeps referring to coaches. This has nothing to do with coaches. His point is everybody suggests plays. Well, then you're too stupid to be a head coach in the NFL if you're going to throw a quarterback that people are already questioning his dedication, already questioning whether or not he knows what the hell he's doing. Questioning his maturity, really.”

The spark was a report from CBS Sports reporter A.J. Ross. Monken asked Sanders which plays he wanted in the opening script, and some were outside the playbook. Monken called it a harmless hallway chat.

Both sides have a point. Coaches do seek player input. Yet a head coach also shapes the message, and The Athletic's Jason Lloyd has reported that sources inside the building question Sanders' film study. One good game earns respect, not a job. The next chance has to count.