4 Things Shedeur Sanders Needs To Do To Win the Browns’ Quarterback Job

Since head coach Todd Monken declared an open competition for the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback position, five months have passed almost to the day, with no winner having been declared yet.

With the start of training camp a mere days away, Cleveland will now have to work overtime to determine who’ll start the regular season under center between last year’s third and final starter, Shedeur Sanders, and veteran Deshaun Watson, once tapped as the franchise’s saviour.

With reports throughout the summer tapping Watson as the competition leader, here are four things Sanders needs to reclaim the starting role in which he finished with a starting record of 3-4 over the final weeks of last year’s regular season, earning an unexpected Pro Bowl nod along the way:

Keep improving on the field

There’s no question that Sanders’ stats last year are anything but memorable. He completed just 56.6 percent of his throws, while tossing seven touchdowns against 10 interceptions.

Nonetheless, it was also clear that, after the Browns started the season with Joe Flacco under center before pivoting towards Dillon Gabriel, the team did show an extra bounce in its step when Sander’s turn came.

Sanders was the only quarterback in Cleveland capable of leading the team to more than one win, and he actually prevented the team from picking in Fernando Mendoza range in last April’s first round, thanks to a couple of gritty late division wins.

But anyone who watched Sanders play last year understands that level is unsustainable. He needs to process much quicker and be much more decisive when letting it spin. Browns’ coaches lauded Sanders’ work and improvement through the offseason, but he now has to materialize that progress into something more tangible during training camp.

This is, by far, the most important item on the list.

Keep the locker room on your side

Once Sanders got the chance to start, multiple players were quick to praise his work ethic and leadership in a manner that just didn’t happen previously with Dillon, after Flacco was sent away on trade.

Even if this is a coaching decision that ultimately rests on the shoulders of Monken, there's a feeling is that a significant part of the Browns’ locker room would prefer to see the team giving Sanders an opportunity to build upon what he showed as a rookie in 2025.

Having the locker room on your side can go a long way in how a coaching staff can perceive winning probability with one or the other quarterback at the helm.

Stay close to Todd Monken

Once Monken was officially designated as the Browns’ new head coach back in late January, Sanders was quick to connect with him, and Sanders’ porcelain horse head gift to Monken for his birthday became a viral sensation.

Sanders broke the ice wonderfully with Monken, and all signs point to the duo having a good relationship, even if Watson was ultimately pulled in as a competitor for Sanders’ starting job.

The most important thing about this relationship is how it works on the field, but having good chemistry off the field can certainly help.

Be mindful of your social media interactions

This applies not only to Sanders’ personal accounts, but those of the people who surround him, as well. Sanders needs to stay disciplined on and off the field, and stay focused on the task at hand. That includes not creating any unnecessary distractions.

Notwithstanding a few exceptions, Sanders aced the way he handled himself publicly, with the media, and on social media last year. As one of the league’s most notorious rookies, a few observers pointed at his popularity and persona as a cause for concern that may have factored into him falling all the way to the fifth round in last year’s draft.

Sanders needs to keep doing what he’s been doing so far since he arrived in Cleveland, which has been staying away from controversy and keep working at his craft.

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