With each disappointing Deshaun Watson performance for the Cleveland Browns, the calls for Shedeur Sanders to take over as the starter are going to grow louder and louder. They were loud to begin with due to a number of obvious reasons, but if the Browns drop to 0-2 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday and head into their first home game without a win, this team will be facing a mutiny from this fan base.
Sanders continuing to ride the bench brings about the question of what the team’s plan is with him. It is widely assumed that the Browns will draft another quarterback in 2027 because they have two first-round picks in what projects to be a loaded QB class. Sanders is the only thing standing in the way of that plan at the moment because if he takes over for Watson and shows significant improvement, there’s a world where he can convince the powers that be to pass on drafting another QB and giving him a real shot in 2027.
Former Brown Jarvis Landry expressed during an appearance on The Really Big Show that he sees things differently. He still believes in Sanders as a potential starting quarterback, but he isn’t sure if that is going to take place in Cleveland.
“I think Shedeur Sanders can be a starter in the NFL. I would say, I don’t know if it’s going to be in Cleveland. At some point, maybe even after the season, I would say Cleveland definitely needs to go out and get a guy. I do think, from what I saw from Shedeur Sanders last year to what I saw from him this year in preseason, it looks like he’s trying to play more on schedule. He’s trying to play more on time and get the ball out quickly,” said Landry.
“I would say Shedeur Sanders can be a starter in the NFL, I don’t know if it’s gonna be in Cleveland,” – Jarvis Landry on Shedeur Sanders.
FULL INTERVIEW: https://t.co/tOOC5qyYrW pic.twitter.com/dnx6OBmhIF
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) September 17, 2026
If the Browns do wind up drafting another rookie, that’s a wrap for Sanders in Cleveland. Ideally if that happens, the team would do right by him and trade him elsewhere so he can have a shot to start for somebody else, because starting him over a first-round rookie wouldn’t do anybody any favors. He does not need to be a bridge QB. He needs a team that will commit to him and give him a real shot.
A lot will come down to how he looks when he starts in 2026. The chances of Watson making it through 17 starts is close to zero, so there will be a lot of pressure on Sanders when he does take over to prove to not only the Browns, but to 31 other teams that he is worth an extended look.
This quarterback situation is a true roller coaster ride. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but that tunnel can’t come soon enough for this long-suffering fan base.
NEXT: Stephen A. Smith Uses One Word To Describe Deshaun Watson
