Shedeur Sanders may be benefiting from a very low bar for Cleveland Browns quarterbacks. He may be seen as a viable starting option heading into next season, but many of the numbers attached to him after his rookie year would contradict that notion.
Yes, Sanders did improve somewhat over his seven starts to close last season. With three victories, including in the final two games, a case can be made that he deserves the opportunity to hold on to the job, at least going into training camp.
However, ESPN insider Jake Trotter revealed a concerning stat about Sanders that shows his 2025 season was among the worst of the past two decades, based on his QBR.
“If you look at QBR going back to 2006, Shedeur has the second-worst single-season QBR of any quarterback in the NFL,” Trotter said.
"If you and you look at QBR going back to 2006, Shedeur has the second worst single-season QBR of any QB in the NFL," – @Jake_Trotter on the Browns QB situation.
Do you think the Browns should build around Shedeur for 2026? pic.twitter.com/SlnPXxti44
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) February 20, 2026
Sanders’ season may actually be the worst, depending on what cutoff you use to determine it. Among other similarly ranked QBs, Jimmy Clausen of the Carolina Panthers had a QBR of 13.8, making 10 starts as a rookie in 2010.
Regardless, it does not reflect well on Sanders’ overall performance. Perhaps no single game epitomizes this more than the Week 18 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals.
He completed just 11 of 22 attempts (50.0 percent) for 111 yards and no touchdowns. He didn’t throw an interception, but he was sacked six times, and the Browns earned a 20-18 win. It followed two better games when his completion percentage was at least 69.0 percent.
For the season, Sanders completed 56.6 percent of his passes with seven touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and 23 sacks taken. Despite all of that, he did earn a questionable Pro Bowl distinction and could have a chance to further impress new head coach Todd Monken, who considered drafting Sanders when he was the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens.
He may also be protected by the fact that the Browns have few options to replace him. Deshaun Watson is coming off two straight injury-shortened seasons, during which he did not play well even when he was on the field.
As a point of reference, Watson’s QBR for the seven games he played in 2024 was 21.0.
NEXT: Rich Eisen Reveals His Power Ranking For Browns With Todd Monken
