The Cleveland Browns have a lot of work to do this offseason, starting with the head coaching search that is currently underway. There have been a handful of intriguing interviews that have already taken place, and with so many intriguing candidates circling the rumor mill, there is hope that the Browns will have no problem landing somebody competent and exciting to help right the ship.
After the new coach comes in, the quarterback situation is the first thing that needs to be figured out. It’s unclear whether or not the 2026 starter is already on the roster or not, as rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders had up-and-down performances during their tenures as the starter, while Deshaun Watson is now recovered from his torn Achilles and is still in the mix with his $80 million cap hit.
During a recent episode of The Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show, The Athletic’s Zac Jackson stopped by to discuss the 2026 starting quarterback situation. Jackson believes that, as of now, the leader in the clubhouse at the moment is Shedeur Sanders.
“I’m trending towards Shedeur having first crack at this job by default. The options [at QB] are going to be few, and I just see it pointing in that direction. Right now, if they were going out to start training camp tomorrow, to me, there’s no question that he would be the starting quarterback. I think they’ll trade Dillon Gabriel for nothing. It will be Shedeur, Deshaun, and a rookie,” Jackson said.
Who will be the #Browns QB1 heading into the 2026 season? @AkronJackson says he believes it will be Shedeur Sanders.
▶️: https://t.co/CCfOMivb3R pic.twitter.com/SCIwn60eUN
— Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show (@ultCLEsports) January 15, 2026
Watson’s cap hit makes it difficult to go out and bring in another quarterback on the open market unless the front office can get creative and find ways to create some cap space. There are short-term solutions out there in free agency, like Malik Willis or Mac Jones, but it would be easier for the Browns to stick with Sanders and potentially bring in another rookie to see if they can catch lightning in a bottle before perhaps going all in on somebody else in 2027.
Sanders may have thrown ten picks in seven starts, but it was clear that his ability to go off script and push the ball down the field helped open up the offense. If Cleveland can weather the storm of losing four offensive line starters to free agency and perhaps bring in another weapon or two, the Browns owe it to themselves to see what Sanders can do in 2026 with a better situation around him.
If he flops, it’s much easier to go find the franchise quarterback in 2027, when Watson’s cap hit shrinks to a much more palatable $25 million. That draft class should be deeper at QB as well, so it’s certainly on the table that the front office has 2027 in mind when evaluating the current QB situation.
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