Shedeur Sanders’ new head coach likes what he’s seen from the quarterback heading into his second NFL season with the Cleveland Browns.

Todd Monken has been peppered with questions about his quarterbacks depth chart since taking the Browns’ head coaching job, which Kevin Stefanski used to have with the franchise.

Sanders, whom the Browns took in the fifth round of last year’s NFL Draft, is usually in those questions, as media and fans alike are curious what’s in store for him after closing out the 2025 campaign as the team’s starting quarterback. However, a new coach means new thinking about every position.

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Monken, though, spoke to Sanders’ development on Wednesday, where he said he’s seeing a player who has already “come a long way.”

“I think Shedeur’s come miles, in terms of his progressions, getting the ball out, his understanding of concepts. I think he’s really, really come a long way,” Monken told reporters, via ESPN.

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After the Browns went with Joe Flacco to start the season, then Dillon Gabriel when Flacco was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals, Sanders finally got a shot against the Las Vegas Raiders. He won his first-ever start in the NFL, and Stefanski named him starter the remainder of the season.

But Sanders and Deshaun Watson, who’s back from injury heading into 2026, have continued to take split first-team reps during team drills at the Browns’ second OTA practice.

Head coach Todd Monken of the Cleveland Browns looks on during a voluntary veteran minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus in Berea, Ohio, on April 21, 2026. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

Watson, whose tenure in Cleveland has been the exact opposite of what the team had hoped for when they traded for and signed him to a massive contract in 2022. It was a fully guaranteed $230 million over five years, but he tore his Achilles in October 2024 and didn’t play at all in 2025.

Still, back on the gridiron, Monken said that “Deshaun’s athleticism shows up.”

“Obviously he’s had that, but he’s had injuries that have set him back. I wouldn’t say it’s a surprise, but it’s exciting to see – it’s a weapon for him. It’s one of his superpowers, his athleticism.”

The Browns still have Gabriel, as well as rookie Taylen Green, on their depth chart ahead of the season. But it’s clear the competition starts with Watson and Sanders with training camp set for July.

Monken won’t be rushing to any conclusion at the position, but he does wish to name a starter by the beginning of training camp.

Quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns watch from the sidelines during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 7, 2025. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)

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“You’d love to have it at every position at the end of spring, but you can’t guarantee that,” Monken said.

Until then, Sanders and the rest of the Browns’ roster will look to impress their new coach.  

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Openers Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub have been ruled out of Pakistan’s upcoming one-day international (ODI) series against Australia, the cricket board said on Wednesday.

In a statement, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said that the opening batters “will not be available for selection for the upcoming three-match ODI series […] scheduled to begin on 30 May during Australia’s tour of Pakistan”.

The board further noted that both players are currently recovering from injuries and have been advised to continue their rehabilitation programmes under the supervision of the PCB medical panel.

“Consequently, they have been ruled out of selection for the ODI series. The PCB wishes both players a speedy recovery and looks forward to seeing them return to competitive cricket at the earliest opportunity.”

Further updates regarding the squad and player fitness, as mentioned in the statement, will be shared in due course.

The ODI series will begin on Saturday, May 30, with the opening match scheduled at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

The second and third ODIs will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on June 2 and 4, respectively. All matches will start at 4:30pm local time.

The series marks Australia’s return to Pakistan for a 50-over bilateral assignment since their 2022 tour, when the hosts secured a 2–1 series victory.

Earlier this year, Australia also toured Pakistan for a T20I series in January-February, where Pakistan completed a 3-0 clean sweep in Lahore.

The New York Mets‘ youth movement continued Tuesday night, but another decision regarding it caused almost immediate backlash.

The Mets promoted outfield prospect Nick Morabito ahead of their game against their NL East rival, the Washington Nationals, and he was issued No. 8, which had not been worn by a Met since 2001.

The reason the Mets have mostly kept it out of rotation is in honor of Gary Carter, who helped lead the 1986 Mets to the World Series, although the number has never been officially retired. Carter spent five seasons with the Mets and was an All-Star in four of them after starring for the Montreal Expos.

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Nick Morabito was issued Gary Carter’s famed No. 8. (Randy Litzinger, George Gojkovich/Getty Images)

With the Mets, the catcher was a fan favorite and an MVP candidate. He played in Queens from 1985 to 1989, and it’s been seldom issued since he left the team. Three players had worn it after Carter, with the most recent being Desi Relaford in 2001.

That changed Tuesday, and it quickly irked fans and even longtime Mets play-by-play announcer Howie Rose.

“There’s been a debate over whether Gary Carter’s number should be retired, but to release it this 40th anniversary season of 1986 just seems wrong,” Rose posted to X.

New York Mets left fielder Nick Morabito prepares to swing at a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the sixth inning at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., on May 19, 2026. (Rafael Suanes/Imagn Images)

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The New York Post, however, reported that Morabito will be given No. 55 instead. It was too late, though, to make the change Tuesday, so Morabito took the field with No. 8.

The Mets have honored their former players more since Steve Cohen bought the team from the Wilpons in 2020. Before Cohen’s ownership, only the numbers of Casey Stengel, Gil Hodges, Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza were retired, but since Cohen bought the team, six numbers have been retired, with a seventh coming this summer.

But none have been for Carter, who died in 2012.

David Wright, Darryl Strawberry, Doc Gooden, Keith Hernandez, Willie Mays and Jerry Koosman have all had their numbers put up in the Citi Field rafters, and Carlos Beltran will join them this year.

Nick Morabito of the New York Mets jogs to first base during the third inning of his major league debut against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., on May 19, 2026. (Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images)

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Morabito almost made a spectacular play in left field, but a ball ricocheted off his glove and resulted in an inside-the-park home run for Nats slugger James Wood. He did make a splendid over-the-wall catch in foul territory.

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