Browns coach Todd Monken praised the response from Shedeur Sanders after Cleveland named Deshaun Watson as its starting quarterback. 

Monken described the conversation he had with Sanders as “awesome” after revealing that the quarterback would back up Watson going into the Browns’ Week 1 matchup with the Jaguars. 

“You talk about somebody that really understands the long game,” he told reporters. “That really I think has come to understand the long game. What are we really in this for? What am I in it for? To have the Browns be an organization that people aspire to be. The long game. Where do we want to be in the long term? He understands that as well as a quarterback.”

The coach also said that Sanders had a smile on his face. 

Sanders arrived in Cleveland after falling in the draft last year and has had plenty of eyes on him since arriving in the NFL after a successful college run. 

During this preseason, he completed nine passes for 74 yards and one touchdown.

Sanders also threw one interception and rushed for two yards. 

“All he had was a smile on his face cause he understands what really is in front of him,” Monken said. “Not really short maybe long-term decision. He’s going to work his butt off to get better and he has already.”

The controversial Watson will lead the offense to start the season for the Browns and has already had a rocky start, having to apologize to Cleveland fans after he called them “disrespectful” for booing him during a preseason game. 

“Putting a lot of time these last two years to get back and spend time in this facility and the city, meeting a lot of different people in the community, I thought I was going to get a little different response,” he said. “But I think my emotions got the best of me. My comments wasn’t intended to go at any of the fans around the city, because there’s been a lot of great fans that have been supporting me.”