The Browns kicked off their voluntary veteran minicamp on April 21, which will take place from April 21-23. It's the first time the Browns' new coaching staff under Todd Monken can take the field with the players during the offseason workout program.=
"It was awesome," Monken said. "I mean, getting on the grass, really cool. You get the extra week. It's hard on the players, but they handled it great. I mean, you go really from Phase 1 to a Phase 3 practice without really the three weeks in between to really do a lot of the installs. The walk helped earlier, but to get out here and function like we did, not perfect, guys taking care of each other. I like the juice. I love the connection of the team. It's great."
Here are the main observations from the opening day of voluntary veteran minicamp.
Quarterback work in team periods
As the Browns begin the early stages of the quarterback competition with the first reps in practice, all three quarterbacks participated in reps over the course of the periods. They rotated through which quarterback began both individual and team drills.
"We were just rotating who was first reps," Monken said. "Shedeur (Sanders) to start. There were some other reps. The way it was going to turn out, Shedeur was going to get more reps. Some of it in pass skill, some of it in team. Couple of the team periods were slowed down, ACT, more run than they were throw. So, it was set up in a way for us to get a look at all of them. The plan was to have Shedeur have a few more reps, but to let Deshaun (Watson) and Shedeur both have reps with the ones."
Sanders kicked off the first 11-on-11 team period, followed by Watson. The first set of reps consisted of handoffs to various running backs, including RB Dylan Sampson and RB Raheim Sanders. Then in the second 11-on-11 period, they utilized more live play. Sanders also took the first reps, connecting with TE Harold Fannin Jr. on the first play. Watson followed, beginning with a handoff to Sampson who found a lane and broke through the defense.
Watson took reps first in the 7-on-7 period, in which he connected with Fannin and TE Jack Stoll on consecutive passes. He also found WR Tylan Wallace and WR Malachi Corley for completed passes. QB Dillon Gabriel followed suit in 7-on-7, connecting with TE Caden Prieskorn on back-to-back passes before he had a pass picked off. Sanders rounded out the 7-on-7 period with completed passes to WR Jamari Thrash, WR Isaiah Bond and Wallace before he was also picked off on a pass attempt.
The Browns closed out practice with two more 11-on-11 periods, with all three quarterbacks taking reps in both periods.
As the Browns continue through the next two days of minicamp – as well as the later stages in the offseason with OTAs and minicamp – they will change who takes what reps during the drills in order to help evaluate all three quarterbacks.
After the first day, though, Monken was pleased with how all three quarterbacks handled the work during the team periods.
"I thought the quarterbacks functioned unbelievable today in terms of checking plays, getting us out of cans," Monken said. "I thought they were in command. I never felt at one time like they were lost. I thought all the work they'd put in the last couple of weeks leading up to today, Coach (Mike) Bajakian did a great job with them, prepping them. Coach (Matt) Baker, Ian (Kolste), those guys with the quarterbacks to prep them, everything from the meeting rooms, again to the walks to here today, to me that's the start of it. The start of it is how we function, how they lead. Is there a belief system and who has the ball in their hands every play?"
Get an inside look at the Cleveland Browns' offseason training as players gear up and go through drills during Voluntary Minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Head Coach Todd Monken during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8), Quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) and Quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Linebacker Carson Schwesinger (49) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Offensive tackle Tytus Howard (71) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Linebacker Quincy Williams (5) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Cornerback Myles Harden (26), Safety Daniel Thomas (24), Cornerback Tre Avery (11) and Cornerback Tyson Campbell (7) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Defensive Coordinator Mike Rutenberg during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Safety Daniel Thomas (24) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Safety Ronnie Hickman Jr. (33) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Kicker Andre Szmyt (25) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins (74) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Offensive tackle Tytus Howard (71) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Offensive Line Coach George Warhop during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Cornerback Myles Bryant (27) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Offensive guard Zion Johnson (77) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Assistant Offensive Line Coach Bobby Johnson during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Wide Receivers Coach Christian Jones during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Wide receiver Isaiah Wooden (85) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Running back Dylan Sampson (22) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Head Coach Todd Monken during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Safety Ronnie Hickman Jr. (33) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Linebacker Carson Schwesinger (49) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Offensive tackle Tyre Phillips (69) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Special Teams Coordinator Byron Storer during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Tight end Jack Stoll (89) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Running back Ahmani Marshall (23) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Defensive end Isaiah McGuire (57) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Cornerback Myles Harden (26), Safety Daniel Thomas (24), Cornerback Tre Avery (11), Cornerback Tyson Campbell (7) and Linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold (42) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Running back Dylan Sampson (22) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
A helmet during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Defensive Coordinator Mike Rutenberg during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Wide receiver Malachi Corley (83) and Running back Raheim Sanders (35) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Offensive Line Coach George Warhop during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Safety Ronnie Hickman Jr. (33) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Linebacker Nathaniel Watson (40) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Quarterback Coach Mike Bajakian during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Cornerback Tre Avery (11) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Defensive Coordinator Mike Rutenberg during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Offensive guard Zion Johnson (77) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Head Coach Todd Monken during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Safety Daniel Thomas (24) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Kicker Andre Szmyt (25) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Wide receiver Isaiah Bond (16) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Punter Corey Bojorquez (13) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Chief of Staff John Carr during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Defensive Coordinator Mike Rutenberg during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Offensive tackle Tytus Howard (71) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Offensive Line Coach George Warhop during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Offensive Coordinator Travis Switzer during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Assistant Wide Receivers Coach John Wozniak during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Linebacker Quincy Williams (5) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Tight end Jack Stoll (89) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Head Coach Todd Monken during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Linebacker Nathaniel Watson (40) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Assistant Defensive Line Coach Ralph Street during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Safety Ronnie Hickman Jr. (33) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Pass Game Coordinator Ephraim Banda during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Defensive Coordinator Mike Rutenberg during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Cornerback Tre Avery (11) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Head Coach Todd Monken during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Linebacker Quincy Williams (5) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Wide receiver Gage Larvadain (84) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Quarterback Coach Mike Bajakian during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Head Coach Todd Monken during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Offensive Line Coach George Warhop during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Cornerback Tyson Campbell (7) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Assistant Special Teams Coach Keith Tandy during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Wide receiver Tylan Wallace (15) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Cornerback Myles Bryant (27) during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
A football bag during the first day of voluntary minicamp on April 21, 2026 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
Defensive pressure in team periods
The defense made their presence known during team periods, as they forced three turnovers and broke up passes. Each garnered celebrations from defensive players and coaches, both on the field and on the sidelines. The turnovers were also the defensive highlight for Monken on Day 1.
"It was awesome," Monken said. "I mean, flying around, did a great job of attacking yet staying on their feet. I thought they've handled the volume and some of the things that we've done defensively, and it was great to see."
In a 7-on-7 period, Gabriel's pass was tipped by S Daniel Thomas and caught by tryout S JT Woods, who ran the ball back to the end zone and was surrounded by his defensive teammates. During Sanders' 7-on-7 reps, he launched a ball deep down the field but was intercepted by CB D'Angelo Ross.
During an 11-on-11 team period, tryout CB Keenan Garber intercepted Gabriel's pass and ran to the end zone.
The defense continued to demonstrate pressure in coverage, breaking up a couple of pass attempts. LB Quincy Williams broke up a pass from Watson during 7-on-7, while S Donovan McMillon broke up another pass from Sanders.
11 tryout players participate in minicamp
As the Browns hold this voluntary veteran minicamp, they also brought in 11 players on a tryout over the course of the three days. Monken said they are all players they wanted to evaluate.
"They're guys that we had on our radar, some of the coaches that had been with them before, and on Andrew (Berry's) radar," Monken said. "And then there is a part of that that allows us that if we do bring in some tryout guys, it allows us to function with a couple of groups, right? So, it's a little bit of both, but the idea was we certainly had them on our radar as well."
See a full list of the players below:
| No. | Name | Position | Height | Weight | Experience | College | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Keith Kirkwood | WR | 6-3 | 210 | 2 | Temple | Neptune Township, N.J. |
| 28 | Sincere McCormick | RB | 5-8 | 204 | 1 | Texas-San Antonio | Long Beach, Calif. |
| 34 | Patrick McMorris | S | 6-0 | 206 | 2 | California | Santa Ana, Calif. |
| 36 | Keenan Garber | CB | 6-0 | 188 | 1 | Kansas State | Lawrence, Kansas |
| 38 | JT Woods | S | 6-2 | 195 | 2 | Baylor | San Antonio, Texas |
| 55 | Fatorma Mulbah | DT | 6-4 | 306 | 1 | West Virginia | Harrisburg, Pa. |
| 58 | Markees Watts | DE | 6-1 | 240 | 4 | Charlotte | Lancaster, S.C. |
| 64 | Tyler McLellan | T | 6-8 | 355 | 1 | Campbell | North Charleston, S.C. |
| 66 | Joe Michalski | C | 6-5 | 305 | 1 | Oklahoma State | Kansas City, Kansas |
| 90 | Josh Paschal | DE | 6-3 | 275 | 4 | Kentucky | Prince George's County, Md. |
| 97 | Jacob Sykes | DT | 6-3 | 282 | 1 | UCLA | Kansas City, Mo. |
