Shedeur Sanders may not win the competition to become the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback this season, but he has shown that he is willing to take on the challenge. While some of the narrative surrounding him has involved the fact that a lot was given to him on his way to the NFL, the 24-year-old has shown he is willing to work very hard in order to secure his place in the league.
Sanders could have taken a step back a few times during the offseason, especially when it seemed all of the forces were leaning toward Deshaun Watson becoming the team’s starting QB in 2026, and maybe beyond. Instead, Sanders closed the gap and forced head coach Todd Monken to hold off on making a decision until training camp, which is longer than he wanted to.
Coming out of the final minicamp of the preseason, Browns general manager Andrew Berry is speaking out about Sanders’ Improvement, saying it has “truly been phenomenal.”
“I think he’s had an excellent spring. I think he did a phenomenal job this offseason. That really started in January and February, and then when we got into having real practices in May, his growth has been tremendous. We’re all really excited to see Shedeur’s fall camp, preseason when we get into padded situations, live situations. His growth has truly been phenomenal,” Berry said.
"I think he's had an excellent spring. His growth has been tremendous, so we're all really excited to see Shedeur's fall camp, preseason when we get into live situations. His growth has really been phenomenal."
🚨 #Browns GM Andrew Berry w/ @SportsBoyTony and @RuiterWrongFAN on… pic.twitter.com/Z6rvaf5qKD
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) June 12, 2026
Sanders faced his first disappointment of the offseason when Monken did not really acknowledge him as the incumbent starting quarterback, declaring that the position would be decided in an open competition. That did not look to be the case as Watson seized all of the momentum and was given most of the first-team reps in early minicamps.
However, Watson came back to the pack somewhat as those workouts continued into OTAs, although he closed the final minicamp with a strong performance. Sanders was always thought to have an advantage once practices became more intense, with a live pass rush, so perhaps that is why Monken wants to see some more before making his final call.
Whatever that decision may be, it will have ramifications not only in 2026 but beyond. The Browns’ quarterback play this season will have a huge effect on how the franchise will approach the 2027 NFL Draft and its talented QB class.
It could turn out that Sanders will be competing for a job again next season, either against a heralded rookie in Cleveland or with some other team in the NFL.
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