The Cleveland Browns plan to use the offseason to evaluate the quarterback position and who will be the starter in 2026.
Shedeur Sanders finished the year as the starting quarterback and showed flashes of playing well. Yet, the Browns wouldn’t commit to him as the starting quarterback for next season.
However, NFL analyst Mel Kiper Jr. believes Sanders has shown enough to be the starter in 2026.
“I don’t know what else the kid needs to do. I mean, Josh Allen had haters in year three,” Kiper Jr. said. “So if Josh Allen has haters in year two and three of his career, there’s no way Shedeur can avoid it.
“But I’ve watched every play, every snap of Shedeur Sanders, and he should be proud of what he had to go through and survive. … Everything about Shedeur Sanders screams he’s the quarterback.”
Kiper believes Sanders was put in a bad situation by not getting practice reps with the No. 1 offense. So, with limited reps, Kiper believes the Browns have to commit to Sanders.
“Really, when you look at what Shedeur did this year, not having any training camp, never with the ones, defense, offense, to be thrown out there, playing in brutal weather conditions, not in domes. … If you’re going to sit there and tell me you weren’t impressed with the rookie year of Shedeur Sanders, I would say you weren’t watching the same game I was.”
Sanders finished the year throwing for 1,400 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
Kiper Was High on Sanders During Pre-Draft Process
Kiper’s belief that Sanders should be the starting quarterback for the Browns in 2026 isn’t a shock.
In the lead-up to the 2025 NFL Draft, Kiper had Sanders as his top-ranked quarterback and was seen getting frustrated as he was sliding down the draft board. After Sanders was finally picked in the fifth round, Kipped called NFL teams clueless for letting Sanders slip.
“The NFL has been clueless for 50 years when it comes to evaluating quarterbacks,” Kiper Jr. said on ESPN. “Clueless. They have no idea what they’re doing in terms of evaluating quarterbacks. That’s proof. There’s proof of that. They say, ‘We know exactly what we’re talking about when it comes to quarterbacks.’ They don’t!”
Kiper, meanwhile, also believed Sanders was comparable to Cam Ward, who was selected first overall.
Browns Noncommital on Sanders
Following Cleveland’s disappointing season, Browns general manager Andrew Berry had some praise for Sanders and how he played in his rookie year.
“I think we saw a lot of progress with Shedeur this year. I think that’s both mentally, physically, playing the position,” Berry said. “He’s still very much a work in progress, like many rookie quarterbacks are. But I think we saw some really good things in terms of his play-making, his accuracy, his ability to extend plays with his feet.”
Despite Berry being pleased with Sanders’ play, he didn’t commit him to as the starting quarterback going forward.
“Now that all means that we’re gonna do out work on the quarterback market. It’s too important of a position and it’s something that has to be solidified,” Berry concluded. “I can’t sit here and tell you today whether the solution for the starter in 2026 is internal or external. It’s something that we’re going to work through over the next several weeks. And quite honestly, the new head coach will have a lot of input on that as well.”
Sanders, however, will likely be on the Browns roster and could have a shot at winning the job in training camp.
Shedeur Sanders Gets Major Endorsement to be Browns QB1 in 2026