The Cleveland Browns are entering the 2026 NFL season with probably the strangest set up at quarterback, having Deshaun Watson as the Week 1 starter with Shedeur Sanders behind him–and most suggesting that it is not if, but when that Sanders replaces Watson at the helm. The quarterback who looked best in the preseason, Dillon Gabriel, is being stashed on injured reserve, and athletic rookie Taylen Green is in the No. 3 spot. But don’t worry, next year, it will all be fixed, perhaps with CJ Carr.
At least that is how draft guru Field Yates of ESPN sees it, at an admittedly very early stage. In sounding out his first-run mock draft, Yates has the Browns picking third and going with Carr from Notre Dame. Obviously, much can change between now and next April, but one thing Yates is confident of: The Browns don’t really have long-term plans for Sanders.
Browns Get ‘Accurate-Throwing’ CJ Carr as Future Answer Over Shedeur Sanders
Speaking on the “First Draft” podcast with well-known Shedeur Sanders backer Mel Kiper, Yates said that Carr has some concerns about a lack of experience, but that by the end of the season–especially if the Irish play up to their national championship capabilities–he will have put those to rest.
Said Yates: “If they win the national championship, how much more could you beef up your draft stock as CJ Carr, despite just two seasons of starting in college? He might have 28 starts to his name. That’s enough teams are going to be comfortable with him.
“I am going CJ Carr, strongly built, accurate throwing quarterback—OK not a dynamic athlete, but a good enough athlete, very mature young man. Give me CJ Carr at No. 3 for the Cleveland Browns.”
Browns Not Showing Confidence in Shedeur Sanders
Again, the question is, does that mean Sanders has no future in Cleveland? There is a line of logic that suggests the Browns want to see if Watson can get himself going now that he is back from two Achilles tendon injuries, and once he peters out, Sanders will get his chance. In the meantime, the Browns can be working with Sanders on speeding up his decision making in Todd Monken’s offense.
Yates is not buying that. If the Browns thought Sanders was the answer for the future, he’d be starting in two weeks against Jacksonville.
“I think they’ve already told us how they feel about the quarterbacks in their room,” Yates said. “If they’re picking third, they’re going to pick a quarterback. They named Deshaun Watson their quarterback for Week 1. If they believed—and I am just, this is my read and you feel about Shedeur is obviously different.
“But if the Browns felt that Shedeur Sanders was their long-term quarterback, he’d be starting Week 1. They just would be. They’d be saying, hey who cares about getting Deshaun Watson reps?”
CJ Carr Could Lead Notre Dame to Championship
Carr, for what it is worth, threw for 2,741 yards as a freshman with 24 touchdowns and six interceptions. Bucky Brooks has Carr as the No. 2 candidate for the Heisman Trophy award this year, behind another Browns projection favorite, Arch Manning of Texas.
Brooks wrote of him, “While it is unlikely Carr will produce the kind of eye-popping numbers that observers typically expect from quarterbacks who win the award, there is something magical about his leadership skills and clutch play that could separate him from the rest of the pack. … This crafty playmaker — who is the grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr — will have a chance to show voters that he is the straw that stirs the drink for a high-profile team with serious national title aspirations.”