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Browns GM Bluntly Addresses Shedeur Sanders’s Future As Starting QB

Kristen Wong

Browns general manager Andrew Berry opened up about Shedeur Sanders's future with the organization after the 2025 season.
Browns general manager Andrew Berry opened up about Shedeur Sanders's future with the organization after the 2025 season. / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
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The Browns' 2025 season ended on a dramatic note with Myles Garrett setting a new historic sack record and former head coach Kevin Stefanski getting fired shortly after. Cleveland's offseason is expected to be just as busy as the organization looks for Stefanski's replacement—and potentially some competition for quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

In the wake of the Browns' disappointing 5-12 campaign, Browns general manager Andrew Berry spoke to the media in his end-of-year press conference to discuss the Stefanski firing as well as the team's quarterback plans in 2026.

Berry was asked whether Sanders would remain the starter next season and he declined to say the rookie had outright won the job, instead calling Sanders a "work in progress."

"I think we saw a lot of progress with Shedeur this year," Berry said. "I think that's both mentally, physically playing the position. 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 playmaking, his accuracy, his ability to extend with his feet. And I think I'd also give him credit—as well as our offensive staff—for bringing him along in terms of his pocket management, his situational awareness and things of that nature.

"That all being said, we're going to do our work on the quarterback market. It's too important of a position and it's something that has to be solidified. I can't sit here and tell you today whether the starter in 2026 is internal or external. But it's something that we're going to work through over the next several weeks."

Berry's latest non-committal remarks on Sanders don't offer a very strong endorsement of the QB heading into his second year, despite Sanders's usual self-assuredness in himself. "Always the same confidence wise, but that's not in my hands," Sanders said when asked if he's proven he can be the franchise quarterback.

Berry added that Deshaun Watson, who spent this past year rehabbing his Achilles injury, is expected to be on the roster come 2026, further muddling the Browns' crowded quarterback room.

Sanders started his rookie season buried on the team's depth chart but was thrust into the spotlight in mid-November, after then-starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel got injured during a game against the Ravens. Since then, the 23-year-old has managed to hold onto his starting job, albeit against little competition. He went 3-4 across seven starts and threw for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 56.6% of his passes—solid numbers for a rookie quarterback who arguably didn't have the best supporting cast.

The Colorado product had his moments to shine, including an impressive 52-yard dime in his first NFL start that even stunned his own teammates:

But on the flip side, Sanders's 10 picks this year serve as a visible blemish on his stat sheet, especially given that a few (like his desperation heave in Week 17 vs. the Steelers) could have easily been avoided:

For now, Sanders will likely try to focus on what he can control this offseason as he awaits his future head coach in Cleveland.

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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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