Allen gives Browns up-close view of franchise QB as Watson-Sanders battle nears finish

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — As the Browns' clumsy starting quarterback competition winds down, they got an up-close view at what a franchise QB looks like.

Josh Allen reminded them what's missing.

Despite not having two of his top wide receivers due to injuries, Buffalo's star QB showed typical poise and precision while working against Cleveland's solid defense as the Bills and Browns held a joint practice Thursday in advance of their weekend exhibition.

Allen connected with tight end Dalton Kincaid for a long touchdown and the Bills, one of the AFC's preseason Super Bowl favorites, made more big plays than the Browns, who are nearing a decision on who will be their No. 1 QB.

“It was good to see guys step up, go out there and make some plays,” Allen said in assessing the session, which included plenty of trash talk but no fights. "The tight ends had a really good day. I didn’t get to see a lot of the defense, but it seemed like we were flying around, having a lot of energy.

"When you have a joint practice like this, all you want to see is guys flying around and making plays on the ball and we did that today.”

As for the Browns' ongoing quarterback battle, Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders each had bright moments and a few they'd like to do over. They essentially split the snaps against Buffalo's starting defense, giving first-year coach Todd Monken more information.

Monken gave Watson, whose had an injury-riddled tenure with Cleveland, the start in last week's exhibition opener at Chicago. He's giving Sanders the nod on Saturday against Buffalo with Watson playing the third quarter.

On his first drive, Watson threaded a 30-yard pass to rookie KC Concepcion Jr. He later threw an interception inside Buffalo's 20. Sanders made several solid throws, highlighted with a completion over the middle to Malachi Corley.

Monken was pleased with how both QBs operated the offense.

“It was fine,” he said. "I mean, do you like to turn it over in the red zone? No. Do you like to miss an open touchdown? No. But, again, we got a lot of good work going against someone different.

“The one thing I would say, maybe it was just me, it didn’t look like we were out of place. It looked like we belonged. That’s all we wanted to see. Do we belong? I mean, does our first 11 give us a chance to move the ball and score? And I felt that way today.”

Both now 30, Allen and Watson have history.

They met in a wild-card game in January 2020 with Watson rallying Houston from a 16-0 deficit in the third quarter to stun the Bills. Six years ago, it appeared their paths would intersect often before Watson's career was derailed by a trade, injuries and league suspension.

Allen is impressed by Watson's determination.

“I know how frustrating that can be to not be out there with your teammates and your brothers and continuing to fight to get back healthy, get back on the field,” said Allen. "And when you get there and then it happens again. So to have that mental resolve. Not a lot of people have that. It’s good to see him healthy again.”

Bills tackle Dion Dawkins believes Watson can be special again.

“Deshaun is still him,” he said. “If you have a line that can protect the quarterback, then the quarterback is going to thrive. He’s been that guy. He is that guy. The world tries to paint a crazy picture. But let the past be the past, and the kid ball.”

Browns starting defensive end Alex Wright was carted off with an apparent lower leg injury.

Wright was working in a 1-on-1 drill against Bills tackle Spencer Brown when he went down after some contact. Wright immediately pulled off his helmet and asked for medical assistance before limping toward the sideline.

Moken didn't have any update on the 25-year-old Wright, who had 5 1/2 sacks last season.

Browns running back Quinshon Judkins missed his second straight practice with an unspecified injury. Monken said Judkins “has a little something nagging. Nothing big.”

Fists didn't fly, but the Bills and Browns exchanged plenty of words.

After being warned by Monken and first-year Buffalo coach Joe Brady to behave, players on both sides mostly kept their cool during the two-hour practice. There was some extra shoving after the whistle, but nothing too extreme.

“It got a little edgy, but not over the top,” Monken said. “And that’s exactly what you’re looking for. Guys want to compete. I can only speak to one side, but it was awesome and I commend the Bills and our guys taking it to the line and not going over the line.”

Some of the most animated conversations were between Dawkins and Browns DE Jared Verse.

Dawkins said it was all in fun and he was complimentary of the man replacing Myles Garrett.

“I love the kid,” Dawkins said. “He has a bright future as he keeps going. His bull rush is insane. He’s going to rack up sacks all season long. I’m a Verse fan.”

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Cleveland Browns quarterbacks Deshaun Watson, left, and Shedeur Sanders participate in throwing drills during a joint NFL football practice with the Buffalo Bills in Berea, Ohio, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Cleveland Browns defensive end Alex Wright, right, is carted off the field with an apparent leg injury during a joint NFL football practice with the Buffalo Bills in Berea, Ohio, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders reacts after running to the end zone during a joint NFL football practice with the Buffalo Bills in Berea, Ohio, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson looks to pass during a joint NFL football practice with the Buffalo Bills in Berea, Ohio, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen reacts after completing a pass during a joint NFL football practice with the Cleveland Browns in Berea, Ohio, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/David Richard)

HONOLULU (AP) — Communities still recovering from last weekend’s hurricane in Hawaii could get pounded again in coming days from another tropical system gaining strength over warm Pacific waters.

Hurricane Lala tore roofs off houses, uprooted trees, covered roads in mud and rocks and left many households without electricity. With thousands of homes and businesses still in the dark Thursday, forecasters warned yet another tropical cyclone is likely to approach the islands soon.

“We’re worried about people going through this again,” said John Bravender, a warning coordinator meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu. “Normally we would say pay attention to the forecast just in case. Now we’re saying take action now.”

He said a tropical depression was just starting to become more organized, and while the system is not expected to take exactly the same track or even dump potentially as much rain as Lala, the ground is already saturated from the recent hurricane.

The depression moving west and northwest could become a tropical storm in the coming hours and pass near or south of Hawaii's Big Island over the weekend or early next week, the U.S. Central Pacific Hurricane Center said. That system could dump up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rain on the Big Island and trigger life-threatening flooding, mudslides and rip currents, it added.

“There's definitely tension in the air'' at the thought of more rain in communities that floodwaters turned into rivers, said Tiffany Edwards Hunt, a teacher living in Keaau, on the east side of the Big Island. “There were some areas that were completely washed out.”

Some people paddled to safety on surfboards, she said.

Hunt went to the area's grocery store but hesitated to buy food in case the power goes out again. Her home was without electricity from Saturday to Monday, she said, but some neighborhoods were still in the dark days later.

The Hawaiian Electric utility said it expects nearly all affected customers on the Big Island to have power restored, except for certain remote and severely damaged areas.

Many families with limited resources are worried about spending more money to prepare for another storm, Hunt said Thursday.

“We’re at the beginning of the hurricane season,” she said. “We know how to pull it all off in our community. It’s just having to mentally and emotionally prepare for it.”

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green and other state officials, held a news conference Thursday afternoon to update Lala recovery progress and urge people to prepare for the next storm.

“These hurricanes are very serious. There were many houses that were destroyed,” Green said. He said the next storm could be similar in strength but there's still a lot of uncertainty though “we're going to prepare.”

Officials urged people low on emergency supplies after Lala to restock up to 14 days of food, pet food, medicine and other essentials and closely monitor the storm's progress.

Residents found the body of a man in his 60s in a pasture Tuesday, a day after the recovery of the body of May Doi, 93, whom neighbors said was trying to escape from floodwaters in her home. Doi was a beloved former kindergarten teacher who taught generations of residents in a small town on the Big Island.

“She taught grandkids of her students,” said ʻĀina Akamu, a former student of Doi who is now a vice principal at a local school. “She was a fixture in this community.''

The highest total rainfall from Lala, 43.54 inches (1.1 meters), was recorded on the northeast coast of the Big Island, the National Weather Service said. Dozens of homes were washed from foundations, bridges were damaged and about 13,200 customers on the Big Island remained without power Thursday.

Efforts to restore power in hard-hit areas of the Big Island could take at least two weeks, the Hawaiian Electric utility said.

Lala is the first major hurricane of 2026 in the Central Pacific Ocean. Now well west of Hawaii’s main islands, Lala had top sustained winds of 90 mph (150 kph) on Thursday and had begun pummeling the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument — a remote area at the northwestern edge of the Hawaiian Archipelago. The impacts were being felt between Lisianski Island and Maro Reef, authorities said.

Forecasters said Lala would cross the waters of the marine national monument for a few days at hurricane strength despite some gradual weakening.

Even in that remote area, people were seeking safety. A charter boat carrying a 16-member crew dedicated to removing marine plastics and abandoned fishing nets from the shores of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands got out of Lala’s projected path.

Kevin O’Brien, president of the nonprofit Papahanaumokuakea Marine Debris Project, said the vessel left Lisianski Island on Monday and headed hundreds of miles (kilometers) out to sea away from the storm.

“We were ready for it,” O’Brien said. “We keep on our toes out here during hurricane season.”

Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Associated Press writer John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia, contributed.

This satellite image provided by NOAA shows Hurricane Lala on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean northeast of Hawaii. (NOAA via AP)