Shedeur Sanders is not lacking for support, either from his large contingent of fans or his backers in the media. They truly believe he should be the quarterback of the Cleveland Browns, not only now but well into the future.
That is why they were so upset and the backlash was so swift and fierce when head coach Todd Monken named Deshaun Watson the starter ahead of him. Not only do they want nothing to do with Watson ever again, but they also perceive it as the latest example of Sanders not being treated fairly by the organization.
Now, one of his biggest boosters, media figure Skip Bayless, is making a wild claim about Sanders, saying that the Browns view him as their fourth-best quarterback, which was proven by their roster-deadline move with Dillon Gabriel.
“Shedeur is stuck on a franchise that now I believe ranks him the fourth-best quarterback in their building. Now, I have to read Todd Monken raving about Dillon Gabriel, that they have clearly stashed on injured reserve with some mysterious back injury. The other day, Todd Monken raved about Dillon Gabriel saying all he does is prepare. He prepares like a pro. I thought that was a shot at Shedeur. He gets what we want to do, said Todd Monken of Dillon Gabriel. Todd Monken concluded, ‘I am fired up about Dillon Gabriel.’ I watched Dillon Gabriel last year every single snap, I was not fired up. Shedeur is more accurate than Dillon Gabriel. Shedeur has an ‘it’ factor that Dillon Gabriel never had. He does not have what Shedeur has,” Bayless said.
"Shedeur is stuck on a franchise that now I believe ranks him their 4th best quarterback in their building," – Skip Bayless on Shedeur Sanders and the Browns QB room.
(via @RealSkipBayless) pic.twitter.com/nxQdC6hWMd
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) September 1, 2026
Cleveland faced the dilemma of keeping four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster or risking losing Gabriel or rookie project Taylen Green via the waivers/free agent process. The Browns solved that problem by placing Gabriel on injured reserve with a back injury that surfaced after he played very well in the preseason finale.
That, combined with the praise Monken has been giving Gabriel lately, has Bayless convinced that the Browns now view Sanders behind him, Green, and Watson. If that were actually the case, Cleveland could have simply cut Sanders at the deadline, but it would not want to deal with even more negative fan reaction in the aftermath of its Watson decision.
If Bayless is correct, the Browns obviously would rather trade Sanders than lose him for nothing, but there has seemingly been no market for him, going all the way back to his historic fall into the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. So, he will enter the season as the backup to Watson with the potential to take over sooner rather than later.
It is fair to question whether Monken’s decision was based on Watson’s ability compared to Sanders, or if it has more to do with the veteran’s huge contract than anyone with the Browns is willing to admit, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Sanders will become a complete afterthought once Gabriel is healthy.
NEXT: Analyst Turns Heads With Deshaun Watson Week 1 Prediction
