Insider Raises A Real Concern About Shedeur Sanders’ Future Role

Shedeur Sanders is currently in a spirited battle with Deshaun Watson to win the starting quarterback role for the Cleveland Browns. It’s not exactly where Browns fans hoped to be at this stage of the calendar, but new head coach Todd Monken is doing the best with the hand he was dealt and GM Andrew Berry has done an excellent job beefing up this offense so that whichever QB wins the job is stepping into a much-improved situation.

Though Watson looked to have an inside track to winning the competition, Sanders reportedly closed the gap with some strong performances at OTAs. He is working hard this offseason to convince this team it doesn’t need to draft a rookie QB in 2027, though one insider still has a big question about the second-year QB.

During a recent episode of Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic raised the question of what Sanders’ future looks like if he doesn’t win the job. He wondered if Sanders being a backup would be a potential distraction.

“I don’t think anyone is saying trade him now. I think it’s if he loses the job, do you want him as the backup? Everything that went on last year, do you really want to relive that?” said Lloyd.

Could Shedeur Sanders still be the #Browns backup if he doesn't win the starting job? 👀🏈

.@ByJasonLloyd & @Gbush91 discuss, with G Bush saying the noise around Shedeur is coming from the internet—not inside the Browns building. 🔥https://t.co/2YsHSSK0Y8 pic.twitter.com/9lMWJsXh81

— Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show (@ultCLEsports) June 25, 2026

Lloyd questioned the distraction that Sanders being a backup would cause the locker room without saying it’s Sanders’ fault. He also pointed out that it doesn’t make sense to trade him now because of the timing and because of the fact that the Browns are unlikely to get much of anything in return now that the draft and free agency have concluded.

Lloyd truly makes a great point here, because the noise is going to be louder than it was last year if he doesn’t win the job. There is already so much pushback on Watson as it is, and the noise was deafening last season even though Sanders was third string. If he’s a backup behind a controversial figure like Watson who hasn’t played well in five years, it absolutely could be a distraction.

There has been pushback on the trade rumors so far, but something has to give if Watson winds up winning the job. Perhaps he will be showcased for a trade and Sanders will eventually take over just like last season when Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett were traded.