The Cleveland Browns have, by many metrics, been one of the worst teams in the NFL over the past two seasons. They’ve won just eight games during that time, and only the Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, and Las Vegas Raiders have won fewer.
When a team performs as the Browns have lately, it’s sometimes difficult for the fanbase to have much expectation and hope for the future. A new head coach and coordinators can only do so much, but Todd Monken and his new coordinators still have to work with this roster.
Major changes are seemingly coming across the board, but analyst Jonathan Peterlin thinks that, regardless of what decisions they make, they need to get clarity about the future of Shedeur Sanders under center. Sanders had some ups and downs during his rookie season, but most people agree that the Browns didn’t see a complete body of work with him at the helm.
He believes that the worst thing that can happen to the Browns next season is that they still don’t get a clear answer on whether Sanders can be a franchise quarterback.
“The thing we need out of Shedeur next season is to either be awesome and fulfill everything that people like Emory Hunt have been saying for months, or absolutely stink up the joint,” Peterlin said.
"The worst thing that could happen for the Browns is that it's not obvious. We need Shedeur Sanders to choose a lane of greatness or suck."
🚨 @JPeterlin and @RuiterWrongFAN on the #Browns needing clarity at quarterback 🏈 pic.twitter.com/nLinJskGQX
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) February 23, 2026
Peterlin believes that Sanders might not be the Browns’ long-term answer at QB, but it’s a win-win situation for them if he turns out well. If he’s great, then the Browns don’t need to look any further; they’ve found their guy. If he’s horrid, then the Browns will likely have a top-five or top-ten draft pick in 2027, giving them a chance to draft a high-caliber prospect in a better QB class.
One thing that the Browns cannot afford to be in 2026 is mediocre, which is exactly what Peterlin noted in this conversation. If they win somewhere in the neighborhood of six to nine games, they’ll likely miss the playoffs, and not have an opportunity to select a higher-echeleon prospect.
It’s anyone’s best guess as to who the Browns are going to roll with as their starter in Week 1 next year, but if it’s Sanders, it could be in their best interest to stick with him all season and see what happens.
NEXT: Fans React To Browns, Eagles Blockbuster Trade Proposal
