It was just four plays that came out of nowhere, but they spoke volumes about where Shedeur Sanders stands with the Cleveland Browns midway through the 2026 season. Called on to replace starter Deshaun Watson during the first possession of the game Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sanders failed to impress head coach Todd Monken.
On the third snap after the opening kickoff, Watson took a helmet-to-helmet hit on an incomplete pass, and he had to be evaluated for a concussion. That forced Sanders into action.
His first play was an incomplete pass that drew an illegal man downfield penalty. On Monday, Monken said Sanders, facing a blitz, should have thrown it into the ground instead.
Based on that comment and others, insider Tony Grossi turned heads with a claim about Sanders, saying that Monken wanted him to do something else on each of the snaps he took.
“The coach was being very analytical there and pointed out that every play he made, he would have preferred him to do something else,” Grossi said.
"Every play he made, he would have preferred him to do something else," – @TonyGrossi on Monken's comments on Shedeur Sanders. https://t.co/tykB9thDeH pic.twitter.com/bIc2yelmi4
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) November 3, 2026
On his second snap, Sanders completed a pass to Denzel Boston for no gain, with another illegal man downfield penalty being declined. Following a 1-yard run by Quinshon Judkins, Sanders completed a 2-yard pass to Harold Fannin Jr., who lost a fumble. Watson then returned for the next series and finished the game.
Monken defended Sanders’ decision-making somewhat by saying that, as the backup, he doesn’t get a lot of reps at practice. But the coach also said, “He could have helped us out with a check,” and “We had an opportunity maybe on the third and extra long,” which seem to indicate that he was looking for something more from the QB.
With the NFL trade deadline approaching, there is a chance that Monken won’t have to talk about Sanders much longer. If they do decide to move him, it would give the fifth-round pick from the 2025 NFL Draft a fresh start.
Beyond that, there is also a chance that Dillon Gabriel could be moved into the backup role ahead of him. That would almost certainly mark the end of Sanders’ time in Cleveland.
With Watson keeping a firm grasp on the starting job for as long as he remains healthy, it is possible that Sanders does not get into another game this season.
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