Most Cleveland Browns fans thought Shedeur Sanders would be the team’s starting quarterback no later than Week 3, but Deshaun Watson has surprisingly turned back the clock and given this organization a steadying veteran leader at the position, helping guide them to a 5-3 start. However, Watson showed up on Tuesday showing lingering effects from a potential concussion he suffered in Sunday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the door is now open for Sanders to start this week.
Sanders is looking at a potential matchup against the struggling 2-5 New Orleans Saints, who are 0-4 at home and giving up nearly 30 points per game at the Superdome. It’s a great matchup for him to show off a little bit and display some of the improvements he has made over the last few months.
With some rumors swirling about him potentially being trade bait over the past few weeks, Sanders added fuel to that fire when he hired an agent for the first time. On Wednesday, he spoke about that decision for the first time.
“What that got to do with this game? I’m focused on this game, everything else really doesn’t matter at this point,” Sanders said.
"What (does) that got to do with this game?"#Browns QB Shedeur Sanders when asked about recently hiring an agent pic.twitter.com/fW0eJgF4pG
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) November 4, 2026
It’s the right response from Sanders. Almost every player has an agent, so while he did hire one during a time that would naturally ignite some curiosity, it’s not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Perhaps he started hearing his name in some trade rumors and wanted to be prepared. We may never know.
All that matters is that he is ready to go for Sunday, which would likely be the biggest start of his young career. If the Browns are set on bringing in a new potential franchise QB in the 2027 draft, or if they still want to recommit to Watson this offseason, this could be an audition for 31 other teams around the league.
Sanders showed some notable weaknesses during his time as a starter last season, and it will be intriguing to see if he was able to improve upon those issues over the past few months. Watson hasn’t officially been ruled out yet, but all signs point toward Sanders getting at least one start in place of the veteran.
NEXT: 4 Key Browns Players Dealing With Injuries
