This might be the most important moment of Shedeur Sanders’ young career. The quarterback is about to enter his second season, and he is trying to earn his spot as the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback.
The competition between him and Deshaun Watson is reportedly tight, but Sanders could come out on top if he plays his cards right. While speaking to 92.3 The Fan, Mary Kay Cabot talked about what that would look like and what Sanders should be focused on during the offseason and training camp.
If he pays serious attention to the “operation of everything” and runs the offense well, he could be the team’s QB1 in 2026.
“The efficiency. The pre-snap operation of everything. Just being able to manage the whole offense. This offense puts a lot of responsibility on the quarterback. It involves a lot of decision-making, like sliding protection, managing motion, and changing plays. All of those things, you just have to make sure that he’s continuing to understand exactly what he needs to do,” Cabot said.
"The efficiency. The pre-snap operation of everything. This offense puts a lot of responsibility on the QB. It involves a lot of decision making like sliding protection, managing motion, changing plays."
📞@MaryKayCabot on what Shedeur Sanders has to work on to win the Browns… pic.twitter.com/Uh27VFz67U
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) July 9, 2026
There are a lot of things to keep in mind, but being a team’s leading quarterback isn’t easy, and Sanders needs to be well aware of that. A lot of responsibilities will be placed on his shoulders, and he has to be able to handle that. This is his chance to show growth and put rookie mistakes behind him.
One of the biggest problems with Sanders last season was holding the ball too long. It was his first time in the NFL, and he was understandably under a lot of pressure. But it led to some bad decisions on the field and calls from critics about him being unprepared.
A rookie might be cut some slack, but a second-year QB will not be afforded the same. That means that Sanders will have to show his coaches that he has spent the last few months wisely and has been seriously working on improving his game.
If Sanders can prove to Todd Monken and his staff that his decision-making process has leaped forward, it’ll go a long way to securing his job as the starter.
Being a quarterback means being a leader and problem-solver, and Sanders has to show that’s what he is.
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