Situations change quickly at quarterback in the NFL, which the dueling situations of the Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals exemplify perfectly just one day ahead of the trade deadline.
The Browns sat Deshaun Watson in Week 9 due to a concussion the week prior, starting Shedeur Sanders who led scoring drives at the end of regulation and overtime against the New Orleans Saints, falling a two-point conversion shy of what would have proven a truly impressive win full of toughness and clutch plays.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported on Monday, November 9 that the Browns were going to stick with Watson, who is 5-3 on the season, even after Sanders’ big day. However, head coach Todd Monken spoke with reporters later in the afternoon and said he had not made a decision.
Meanwhile, the Arizona Cardinals benched Jacoby Brissett late against the Dallas Cowboys two games back, put in Gardner Minshew and saw the QB lead a furious comeback for an overtime win. The Baltimore Ravens subsequently lost both Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley, with the latter out for the season while Jackson might potentially miss that long.
Arizona traded Brissett to the Ravens and elevated Minshew into a starting role, only to find out on Monday that he may be done for the season with an elbow injury. The Cardinals are 3-6 with some highly winnable games remaining on their schedule and now have just Carson Beck to whom they can turn.
As such, if Arizona isn’t interested in tossing in the towel on its season just yet, an early Day 3 draft pick offer to the Browns in exchange for Sanders makes some real sense all of a sudden.
Cardinals Must Add QB After Gardner Minshew Injury
Adam Schefter of ESPN reported the most recent update on Minshew via social media on early Monday night.
“Cardinals QB Gardner Minshew is seeking additional medical opinions to confirm that he likely will need season-ending surgery on a torn UCL, sources tell @joshweinfuss and me,” Schefter wrote. “Minshew hurt it before halftime and somehow played the second half with the injury.”
Minshew hurt it before halftime and somehow played the second half with the injury.
Arizona pretty much has to add at least one quarterback, if not two, assuming Minshew’s injury is anything close to the worst-case scenario Schefter described.
Meanwhile, Cleveland has four quarterbacks in the organization currently, with Dillon Gabriel and rookie Taylen Green employed alongside Watson and Sanders.
Dillon Gabriel Most Logical QB for Browns to Trade, While Shedeur Sanders Will Bring More in Return
Gabriel is the most likely trade candidate given that he is the Browns’ QB3 and hasn’t played a regular-season snap for the team this year.
Regardless of Monken’s unwillingness to discuss in certain terms the starting job against the Houston Texans next week, Watson is likely the starter as long as he remains healthy and Cleveland (5-4) stays competitive. Plus, trading him is a non-starter because of the size of his contract.
Green is a sixth-rounder with zero regular-season snaps at the NFL level and is a high-upside play with strong athletic potential — the classic profile of a player Monken will keep on the roster and develop over the next year or two before he gets an opportunity to play Green and see what the young QB can do.
That leaves Sanders and Gabriel, both second-year players who started several games last season with below-average success. Sanders looked pretty competent against the Saints, though he held onto the football too long and took five sacks as a result. Monken spoke highly of his QB2 in the aftermath, which doesn’t lend itself to the idea that the Browns will turn around and trade Sanders.
But from the Cardinals’ perspective, Sanders is the guy they’d likely want over Gabriel. Beyond that, Cleveland will be able to get more for Sanders.
Given Arizona’s circumstances and the proximity to the deadline, the Browns might be able to get a fourth-round pick back for Sanders, which is higher than the fifth-rounder they spent on him in 2025. On the other hand, Gabriel’s injuries over the past two years and his lack of playing time in 2026 might render him worth something in the range of a sixth-round selection.
Browns Get Shedeur Sanders Trade Window After New QB Injury