For as long as Shedeur Sanders is on the Cleveland Browns, most of the major decisions for the franchise will revolve around him. Despite being a fifth-round draft pick, he is a high-profile quarterback who may be at the position for years to come.
But based on his play as a rookie, and continued lingering skepticism about his character, he also could be out of the league as soon as this summer. It’s one of the NFL’s most unique and interesting situations, to be sure.
Last year at this time, there was a persistent conversation about the Browns potentially selecting Sanders at No. 2 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. A lot has happened since then, but he is still the primary topic of Cleveland’s offseason.
Insider Adam Caplan recently revealed what he is hearing about Sanders, saying the Browns believe the talent is there for him to emerge as a legitimate starting QB in the NFL.
“There was this belief in coaching circles that if you want to work with the Browns, you’ve got to at least believe that Shedeur Sanders would be a factor in the quarterback decision. There was this belief that there’s talent with this guy. I strongly believe had there not been concerns with his character, he would not have gone past the third round. He’s a dropback quarterback. He can scramble, he’s not a runner. The question is: Is he committed to being it? Is he committed in developing his talent? That was the issue coming into the draft,” Caplan said.
"There was this belief in coaching circles that if you wanted to work with the Browns you have to believe Shedeur Sanders would be a factor in the QB decision. There's belief there's talent with this guy. Had there not been concerns with his character, he wouldn't have fallen… pic.twitter.com/dS1QDcrhwV
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) March 24, 2026
New head coach Todd Monken seems to like Sanders well enough, even if he would not say that the incumbent starter would keep that role. Instead, Monken plans to hold an open competition including Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel.
With Watson having not played in a game in almost two years, and Gabriel confirming the worries about his physical limitations as a rookie, perhaps Sanders is simply the best option among unappealing choices. But if Monken, whose Baltimore Ravens almost drafted Sanders while he was offensive coordinator, can get the most out of him, it could dramatically change the course of the franchise.
Concerns over Sanders’ work ethic have not gone away, even though the teammates who speak about him publicly have nothing but good things to say about his locker room presence. He did show some improvement over his seven NFL starts, but his statistical performance ranks among the worst in recent history.
It’s possible the Browns will add another QB to the mix before training camp, but even if they do, Sanders will have every opportunity to take over the job once and for all.
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