Shedeur Sanders Has An Overlooked Strength

The Cleveland Browns have a big decision to make about their quarterback situation. On paper, many stats suggest that Shedeur Sanders isn’t a long-term answer at the position.

Then again, some underlying metrics are more encouraging. That, according to ESPN analyst Ben Solak, is especially the case when we talk about screen passes.

In his latest column, he showed that Sanders is actually elite in that regard:

“1.23: That’s Shedeur Sanders’ EPA per dropback on screen passes this season. It’s the highest number of any season in the Next Gen Stats database. Raw stats: 11-for-16 for 210 yards, six first downs and a touchdown. Sanders averages 13.1 yards per pass attempt on screens, which is more than double the league average (5.6) over the past decade. Somehow, Sanders has a completion percentage 8.0% under expectation on screens, which is 406th out of 437 quarterbacks in this sample — so there’s even room for improvement! The screen game could be better,” Solak wrote.

Sanders has been efficient near and behind the line of scrimmage. He has shown a willingness to sling the football down the field, with mixed results.

It’s not wise to jump to conclusions after just a handful of starts, for better or worse. There’s plenty of room for improvement, but he has also shown some flashes.

The Browns, however, aren’t just one quarterback away from being a Super Bowl contender. That means that they should make the most of their two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft to address as many needs as possible.

If they get the No. 1 or No. 2 pick, it would make perfect sense to either take Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore or trade down to acquire an additional first-rounder. If not, they should use their picks to bolster the offensive line and the wide receivers corps.

Simply put, the Browns shouldn’t even consider trading up, regardless of who’s available.

But if a potential franchise quarterback so happens to be available by the time they’re on the clock, that’s a different story.