For those taking the long-term view on the Cleveland Browns, the way the 2026 NFL season has unfolded might not be as positive as many in and around Berea are suggesting. Yes, Todd Monken has imbued the team with a new enthusiasm that is infectious, and he has been deft at handling the Deshaun Watson-Shedeur Sanders situation. Yes, the skill positions have made exponential leaps, and the drafting of GM Andrew Berry and Co. has been spot-on for the past two years. There is much to like. But, again, in the long view, none of it really matters until the Browns have a bona fide quarterback of the future.
They might have had one in Baker Mayfield, but we know how that unraveled. They thought they were getting one by going all-in on Watson. We know how that was undone, too. There are the two first-round picks in 2027, but that’s where the long-view-takers are not so happy: At 5-4, the Browns have been too good to secure a top draft position.
Browns Could Be Going Back to Shedeur Sanders
For longtime insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the Browns are in a sort-of bridge quarterback scenario with Watson this season. And they are likely to be in one again next season because the picks they own–theirs and the Rams‘–are likely to be toward the back end o the NFL draft.
Writes Breer, after Sanders started his first game on Sunday with Deshaun Watson having dealt with a concussion: “I’m not sure Shedeur Sanders did enough to take Deshaun Watson’s job on Sunday. But I think he played well enough that the Browns might want to see him play a couple of games by the end of the year. Especially since the Browns’ first-rounders might not be high enough to get a premier quarterback, so they could be in another bridge scenario in 2027.”
Indeed, even if the Browns do lose enough to get to, say, 7-10 and finish with a Top 12 or 13 pick in the 2027 draft, the other problem is that crop is shaping up to be a major disappointment, just as last year’s quarterback crop was–some of the top prospects, like Arch Manning and Dante Moore have had injuries and have not lived up to their billing. So, yes, get ready for another quarterback bridge season, perhaps starring Sanders, in 2027.
Browns ‘Bridge Scenario’ Could Mean More Shedeur Sanders