The Cleveland Browns are potentially heading towards another quarterback controversy, which is certainly not what the fans want after having a four-man competition last offseason that failed spectacularly. Now that Deshaun Watson is finally recovered from his Achilles injury, it’s sounding like he will be reclaiming his spot as the QB1, though the door is still open for Shedeur Sanders to say something about it.
Sanders showed some promise down the stretch as a rookie in 2025, but ownership wants to finally see some ROI on the Watson contract. It’s not an ideal situation for the second-year QB, but he still has his believers and given Cleveland’s recent history, there’s no reason anybody should expect any Browns quarterback to start 17 games at this point.
During a recent episode of the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show, Tyvis Powell spoke about Sanders’ immediate future, and he believes he will ascend to become a top-20 QB this season.
“If KC Concepcion is able to catch the ball, Denzel Boston becomes a red-zone threat and catch 50/50 balls, absolutely. Shedeur Sanders is one of those guys who skips the layups and takes the go for the great. There’s nothing wrong with that. You’ve got to make sure the person that you’re going-for-great with, that receiver, also has greatness inside of him as well. I think he fell victim to trusting his teammates a little bit too much. You can’t eliminate turnovers because it’s going to happen. If he can get rid of some of those what-the-heck-are-you-doing throws, absolutely, he can be a top-20 quarterback in this league,” Powell said.
.@1Tyvis breaks down why he believes #Browns second-year QB Shedeur Sanders will be a top-20 QB in the NFL in 2026 👀#wristup | https://t.co/6Ca0WHGtnP pic.twitter.com/kg943qGHMW
— Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show (@ultCLEsports) May 6, 2026
It’s natural to expect young quarterbacks to improve, but it was slightly concerning that a lot of the issues Sanders had as a rookie were the exact concerns that dropped him to the fifth round in the 2025 draft. He holds the ball too long, tries to make hero plays, and, according to Powell, perhaps trusted his teammates too much.
However, having a revamped offensive line, a couple of shiny new weapons in KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston, and a new, innovative, offensive-minded coaching staff should all help him take the next steps in his progression.
Todd Monken sounded excited to work with Sanders when he took the job, and it will be fascinating to see what kind of impact he can have on his development. Again, we have no idea what this QB competition might look like, and it might not even be a competition at all.
All Sanders can do is put his head down and keep working, and when his number is called again, he’ll have a window to show that he can be the guy once again.
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