The 2-6 Cleveland Browns are in a position that many would have expected them to be in when they came into the 2025 NFL season with a four-man quarterback competition to see who would replace the injured Deshaun Watson. Halfway through the year, the Browns have struggled to score points and still don’t have much clarity at the quarterback position, though one insider believes the starting quarterback for the 2026 Browns may already be on the roster.
During a recent episode of the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show, The Athletic’s Zac Jackson suggested that there is a world where Shedeur Sanders is the team’s starting QB in 2026.
“There’s a chance that Shedeur Sanders is the starting quarterback of this team exactly a year from now,” Jackson said.
Is there a world where Shedeur Sanders is the #Browns starting QB in 2026?
@AkronJackson thinks so.
▶️: https://t.co/vEz5aLvMqN pic.twitter.com/hz8ZRWja6I
— Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show (@ultCLEsports) November 6, 2025
Jackson said the logic behind this line of thinking is that Dillon Gabriel clearly isn’t the answer and that the Browns are currently projected to have two first-round picks in 2026, around picks five and 15, which could be used on a tackle and a receiver to potentially help Sanders before taking a quarterback in 2027, if need be. Despite many members of the media pounding the table for Sanders to start right away, it wouldn’t have been good for him or the team long-term to throw him out there right away.
Putting a fifth-round rookie who has trouble getting the ball out quickly behind an offensive line that surrendered 66 sacks last season in Week 1 would have been coaching malpractice, and anybody who legitimately wanted the team to do that didn’t want the best for Sanders or for the Browns. He needed a year to learn behind the scenes, and it’s easy to see a world where he comes back next year looking more polished and ready to drive the bus.
NEXT: Numbers Spotlight Big Concern For QB Dillon Gabriel
