The Cleveland Browns could very well be rolling with Shedeur Sanders as their starting quarterback next season.
Sanders ended the year as the starting quarterback and showed flashes of being a starter in the NFL. Yet, the Browns were linked to making some quarterback moves, but as of right now, Cleveland has yet to bring in another quarterback.
With that, Browns insider Zac Jackson of The Athletic believes that means Sanders likely has the edge to be the starting quarterback next season. And, the biggest need for Cleveland is at receiver and not quarterback.
“The Browns added three offensive linemen and brought back another, but needs remain across the offense,” Jackson wrote. “The most pressing need is either at wide receiver or quarterback, but for now we’ll assume that the Browns plan to let Shedeur Sanders try to lock up the quarterback job. A thin and unreliable receiving corps needs help on all fronts. The team is hoping Jerry Jeudy can bounce back after a miserable 2025, but both size and playmaking are needed to fill out the depth chart.”
Jackson believes that if the Browns make another big move this offseason, it will be at receiver. Not only does that mean Sanders will likely be the starting quarterback, but the Browns would also give him more weapons to work with.
Sanders threw for 1,400 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions last season.
Browns Coach Has High Praise for Sanders
Sanders ended the season as the starting quarterback and is looking to win the job in training camp.
However, Cleveland did hire a new head coach in Todd Monken, who could want his own quarterback. But at the NFL Draft combine, Monken shared high praise for Sanders and his playing ability.
“I think what you see is elite playmaking ability,” Monken said at the combine. “That’s in him. You’ve seen it, we’ve seen it, you saw it in college, you saw it on tape last year. Sure there’s a ways to go, but what rookie isn’t? What first-year player doesn’t have a long way to go? I’m excited to get started with him and all of our quarterbacks and all of our players.”
Although Monken had high praise for Sanders, the new Browns coach did make it clear that the quarterback job would be an open competition.
“Sure, I think it’s an open competition,” Monken said. “I don’t know why it wouldn’t be an open competition, and I don’t mean to say that harshly. But I don’t think there’s enough on film over the last couple of years one way or the other to say, ‘Boy, we have a starter at quarterback.’”
Cleveland has Sanders, Deshaun Watson, and Dillon Gabriel all under contract at quarterback.
What Has Cleveland Done in Free Agency?
The Browns have been active in free agency, and the focus has been on overhauling their offensive line.
Cleveland signed guard Zion Johnson to a three-year, $49.5 million deal with $32.4 million guaranteed. The Browns also inked guard/center Elgton Jenkins to a two-year deal worth $24 million. Cleveland then also re-signed Tevin Jenkins to further emphasize the offensive line.
In non-offensive line signings, the Browns inked linebacker Quincy Williams to a two-year deal. Tight end Jack Stoll signed a one-year deal. The other move Cleveland made was signing defensive tackle Kalia Davis to a one-year deal.
Cleveland will now look to add even more weapons at the NFL Draft where the Browns have two first-round picks.
Insider Gives Shedeur Sanders Gets Positive News Amid Browns Active Offseason