3 Cleveland Browns Veterans Who Could Lose Their Starting Jobs in Preseason

Few teams will have as many new starters to begin the 2026 regular season as the Cleveland Browns.

In addition to the five offensive linemen, we’re already guaranteed to see at least one new starting linebacker, one new starting edge rusher and two new starting wide receivers from where we left this team at the end of last season.

However, there could be even more changes brewing over the summer. Here are three veteran Browns’ players that still stand to lose their starting roles during the preseason:

Shedeur Sanders, quarterback

This first one is actually very easy. Sanders finished last season as the starter after being picked up in the fifth-round, effectively taking the Browns out of Fernando Mendoza consideration in the 2026 NFL Draft by leading the team to two wins over the last two weeks, and three overall. In the process, he became one of the most respected players in Cleveland’s locker room while also earning an unexpected Pro Bowl nod despite modest passing numbers.

However, none of it mattered once new head coach Todd Monken was hired, as he immediately declared an open competition for the starting quarterback job between Sanders and Deshaun Watson, who’s missed the last two and a half seasons due to back-to-back Achilles injuries.

Monken has said he’d prefer to have a starter determined already, but by the way things are looking, it might take the preseason to figure it all out.

Monken’s, and owner Jimmy Haslam’s, willingness to give Watson one final shot at doing something -- anything -- to justify one of the worst trades in the history of the NFL coupled with the most ill-advised totally guaranteed contract in the sport, is certainly a shocking development for the Browns. The fact that Watson has been reported throughout the offseason as the leader in the quarterback competition over Sanders is not, due to Watson’s experience.

Jerry Jeudy, wide receiver

This one might be a stretch, but we’re not willing to discard it just yet.

Browns’ rookie wideouts KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston are almost guaranteed to take two of the three starting spots at wide receiver, alongside Jeudy, after being picked up in the first and second.round of last April’s draft.

But, what if Jeudy himself gets displaced.

Few players earned better reviews over the summer than second-year wide receiver Isaiah Bond, who caught 18 passes for 338 yards last year as an undrafted free agent.

Not only did his 18.8 yards per catch lead all Browns’ players by far last year, but his deep play ability could mesh well with Concepcion’s inside moves and Boston’s big presence.

On the other hand, Jeudy is coming off an underwhelming performance -- like most of the offense -- catching just 50 balls for 602 yards and a couple of balls as the supposed top offensive target. He also tied for second in the league in dropped passes, with 10.

Ronnie Hickman, safety

This is an interesting one. Cleveland tendered Hickman at right of first refusal during the offseason, after it was originally reported that the team had placed a second-round tender on the former UDFA.

Practically, that means two things: had a team signed Hickman to an offer sheet -- which didn’t occur -- the Browns would have been able to match said offer sheet to keep him, but that’s it. Under a second-round tender, they would have been entitled to a second-rounder as compensation should he have walked as a restricted free agent.

The second consequence was Hickman’s 2026 salary staying at $3.5 million guaranteed, instead of climbing to $5.7 million under the second-round tender option.

This tells us Cleveland was likely fine with letting the guy who has started 26 games over the last three seasons, including all 17 during a career year in 2025, walk.

And keep in mind, the tender was issued before the Browns picked up Emmanuel McNeil-Warren in the second round of the draft.

These events should absolutely single Hickman out as a veteran that could lose his hold on the starting job once the preseason games come around, as McNeil-Warren is likely to be counted on immediately as a key contributor. While it’s certainly likely that Cleveland will use all three safeties -- with Grant Delpit -- in a ton of big nickel situations, the truth of the matter is that the Browns were possibly looking to upgrade from Hickman way before the draft ever started.

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