The Cleveland Browns and head coach Todd Monken have a big decision coming up ahead of the 2026 NFL season. They will need to figure out who their starting quarterback will be come Week 1.
At this point in time, it’s a two-man race between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders. Everyone seems to be split about who will end up winning the job.
Watson has been viewed as an early front-runner by many. After the Browns gave up so much to get him, the team could be interested in giving him one more shot to prove them right. However, Sanders is a young quarterback with the potential to be a long-term option.
No one knows what Monken and the coaching staff will decide.
With that being said, an NFL scout has spoken out with a strong prediction about Cleveland’s quarterback situation.
NFL Scout Predicts Browns to Start Shedeur Sanders in Week 1
An NFL scout who currently works for an NFC franchise weighed in with his opinion on the matter. He thinks that the Browns will end up giving the starting nod to Sanders.
“Cleveland needs to figure out what it has in Sanders,” the scout told Heavy. “They already know what Watson is and it hasn’t been good. Even if he were to bounce back from the Achilles injury, Watson isn’t a long-term option for the Browns.”
The scout went on to make his final prediction on the competition.
“Personally, I think Shedeur will be given the starting job. They are going to need to make a decision in the 2027 NFL Draft about whether or not they need to pursue a quarterback. Giving Sanders a full season would be the best way to figure out that answer.”
He also made a prediction about what he thinks the future in Cleveland holds for Sanders.
“Honestly, I don’t think he’s the long-term guy for the Browns. I still think Andrew Berry finds his franchise quarterback in the 2027 draft.”
Looking Back at Shedeur Sanders’ Rookie Season
To begin his NFL career, Sanders was the No. 3 quarterback on the Browns’ roster. He sat behind both Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel to begin the year.
Gabriel was given a chance to start in place of Flacco and played in 10 total games. He threw for 937 yards, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions, while completing 59.5 percent of his passes and running for 86 yards. That is when Sanders got his chance.
Sanders played in eight games during the 2025 campaign. He completed 56.6 percent of his passes for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions to go along with 169 rushing yards and another score.
From a pure numbers perspective, Gabriel was better than Sanders. But, Sanders showed up a much more capable NFL arm and bigger long-term potential.
Only time will tell what the Browns choose to do under center. At least for now, there is one NFL scout who expects Sanders to get another opportunity to prove that he can be a franchise quarterback.
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