Jared Verse might have added fuel to the Cleveland Browns’ growing offense-defense rivalry by mocking Shedeur Sanders’ signature celebration after the first fight of training camp.
The brief skirmish broke out during Saturday’s practice and initially involved defensive lineman Alex Wright and offensive tackle Tytus Howard. Other players quickly rushed into the scrum, with Verse emerging near the middle of the action before teammates separated the two sides.
As Verse backed away, he raised his wrist and mimicked Sanders’ patented celebration. Sanders was the quarterback for the first-team offense on Saturday as he continues to alternate with Deshaun Watson.
The gesture appeared playful, but it came as the Browns’ defense continued to control the early stages of camp. Cleveland’s defensive line and secondary have set the tone over the first several practices. The unit had five interceptions during Saturday’s session.
Verse was not the first defender to turn Sanders’ celebration against him. Tennessee Titans players flexed after forcing a turnover last season, with star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons also using the gesture after a sack. Sanders ultimately delivered the best performance of his rookie year despite the taunting, throwing for 364 yards and three touchdowns while adding a rushing score in a 31-29 loss.
Browns Ready to Turn Up Intensity With Pads
The Browns will have an off day before putting on pads for the first time on Monday. That will add another layer to the evaluation throughout the roster, particularly along the line of scrimmage.
Monken has emphasized that mistakes are expected during the installation period but wants to see players respond correctly.
“All of our players are working through mistakes and fighting like hell to get better,” Monken said.
Monken also views training camp as the proper setting for quarterbacks and other players to test their limits. He acknowledged that might lead to interceptions and other miscues. However, those experiments still need to produce progress.
“Now is the time to push the envelope in a lot of ways to see where they’re at,” Monken said. “Certainly don’t want the interceptions. And too many of them are beyond a teaching tool. At some point, you’re like, ‘OK, I’m beyond being taught here. Stop throwing the ball to the other freaking side.’
“But it is part of the process of just working through it. Interceptions are part of the game, unfortunately. But again, did you learn from that? Now, we’ll find out as we keep moving on. Are we making the same mistakes? Are we learning from that and moving on?”
Browns Not Close to QB Decision Between Sanders, Watson
The Browns don’t appear close to making any kind of decision at the quarterback position from the unpadded practices. Monken has cautioned against drawing any kind of conclusions from the opening days.
“Nothing’s going to be decided over these install practices,” Monken said. “We’re just getting it in, letting the guys compete, see where we’re at. That’s all positions. Once we get further along in pads, the full installs are in and we get to compete against other people, that’s really when I’m going to be able to see it.”
Sanders knows there will be uneven performances during the competition. His focus is on mastering the offense so he can play without hesitation, which was a frequent criticism of his game.
“Of course there’s going to be good days and bad days,” Sanders said. “We always strive to have our best days every day, but I play better and I feel better whenever I have all the information and I know exactly what’s going on at all times.
“So that’s why I just spend every minute, every hour of my time really focused on being the best quarterback I could be and being the best leader for this team I could be. And that obviously translates because the more information I know, then the more comfortable I am as a person.”
The Browns’ first preseason game is scheduled for August 15 against the Chicago Bears.
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Mocked During Training Camp Fight