Shedeur Sanders is still pushing to become the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback, but significant questions remain about his future.
Sanders remains in the middle of the Browns’ quarterback competition with Deshaun Watson. Cleveland did not name a starter after minicamp, leaving training camp and the preseason as the next stage of the battle.
But even if Sanders wins the job, he still has work to do to change how some view his long-term ceiling. Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic offered a blunt projection for Sanders, comparing him to two veteran quarterbacks who have had long NFL careers but were not viewed as franchise answers.
“When I see Shedeur Sanders the hopeful media tycoon, I see the son of an icon. When I see Shedeur Sanders the quarterback, I see Andy Dalton or Teddy Bridgewater,” Baumgardner said. “He’s not necessarily a year-to-year starter in today’s NFL, but he does look like a very capable thrower who, if his grasp of NFL offenses and defensive speed continues to improve, can be a reliable backup for a long time. He projects as the type of backup who can hold the fort for a few weeks if a starter gets hurt.”
Sanders is trying to prove he is more than a capable backup and that the hype around him is about more than his last name. That will be decided on the field and the first step for Sanders is winning the starting job.
Shedeur Sanders Has Had to Earn Everything With Browns
Sanders’ path to this point has already been anything but smooth. He slid all the way to the fifth round and did not arrive in Cleveland with the security of being a top pick.
Sanders eventually got his chance as a rookie in Cleveland after injuries and uneven play helped shake up the Browns’ quarterback room. He went 3-4 in seven starts, completing 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
It wasn’t always pretty but Sanders showed enough for the Browns to keep him in the competition heading into his second season. The quarterback competition has been the central talking point of the Browns’ offseason. However, Sanders said the outside view of the competition differs from how the quarterbacks approach it.
“See, I think the way y’all look at things is different than how we look at things,” Sanders said. “We look at coming to practice every day, being the best player we can be as an individual and as a good teammate. Y’all look at it as like a competition. It’s not really nothing I’m just focused on. I’m focused on developing as a player, like doing everything, getting as comfortable as I can in the offense and the scheme and playing with that confidence I had.”
Browns Could Still Look for Future QB in Draft
The reality is that the Browns do not have anything settled at quarterback beyond this season. And Cleveland has the flexibility to take a big swing if they decide their long-term quarterback is not already on the roster.
After trading Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams, Cleveland added Jared Verse and a package of future draft picks, including a 2027 first-rounder. Those assets could become important if the Browns are in position to chase one of the top quarterbacks in next year’s draft.
If Sanders wins the job and shows real growth, he can change the conversation. Suddenly, the Browns would have a cost-controlled quarterback to build around, giving them a path forward after years of instability at the position.
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