Have the Cleveland Browns Found Their Franchise Quarterback in Shedeur Sanders?

The Cleveland Browns entered last season with a very flawed plan at the most important position in sports.

High-price veteran Deshaun Watson was still rehabbing a second Achilles rupture, Kenny Pickett was summarily traded away before the season started, Joe Flacco was brought back after a year away, and the team invested in two rookies during the 2025 NFL Draft, a third-rounder and a fifth-rounder.

Almost by accident, that fifth-rounder -- Shedeur Sanders -- became the face of the offense after taking over midway in Week 11 due to a Dillon Gabriel head injury, and after Flacco himself had been sent away on trade, too. All this despite former head coach Kevin Stefanski’s reluctance to let Sanders get first-team reps in practice all season long.

So, where does Sanders stand now in regards to the future of the Cleveland Browns? Let’s take a look:

Shedeur Sanders, QB

Height: 6-2
Weight: 218 lbs.
Experience: 1 Year
School: Colorado
How Acquired: D5-144

2025 in Review

Sure, Sanders became the franchise’s first ever rookie Pro Bowl quarterback, but there’s no denying that happened only because nobody else wanted to go.

In all fairness, Sanders’ debut season was tough. He completed only 120 of 212 pass attempts for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns versus 10 interceptions, and was sacked 23 times in eight appearances, seven as a starter. His record? A 3-4 that somehow looked marvelous when compared to Flacco's and Gabriel's.

Numbers aside, Sanders unsurprisingly looked lost for a big portion of his tenure as the team’s starter. He often had trouble finding open receivers and delivering the ball on time. He also had major issues with ball placement and running into sacks, and most of the very few big plays were made off script.

Yet, the one thing where Sanders clearly stood out over his two predecessors was the way he won over his teammates. The Browns seemed to fight harder, play better when Sanders was in the lineup. And, almost every Browns’ player spoke glowingly of Sanders, who won more games as a starter than Flacco and Gabriel combined last year in Cleveland.

Contract/Cap Info

Financially, Sanders is every team's dream scenario, if he can lock up the starting position. The second-year pro is looking at a base salary of $1 million for 2026, $1.1 million for next year, and $1.2 million for 2028, his last season under contract. His cap hits for those three seasons are $1.1 million, $1.2 million and $1.3 million respectively, due to a $447,380 signing bonus, the only guarantee in his deal.

At this price, maintaining Sanders rostered is a no-brainer for the franchise. Of course, Sanders’ job is to try to play his way towards an extension with the Browns by the end of 2027, before the last year of his standard four-year deal kicks in.

2026 Preview

Sanders took a big step towards holding on to the starting role permanently last year by leading the Browns to two divisional wins in the final two weeks of the regular campaign, virtually taking Cleveland out of the first overall pick where Indiana's Heisman-winning quarterback, Fernando Mendoza, was selected.

Some argue that common logic dictates Sanders getting continuity as the team's starter, but these are the Cleveland Browns. Incoming head coach Todd Monken has already declared an open competition for the starting job, breathing new life into Watson's apparently finished run with the team.

Is Deshaun Watson going to take too many reps away from Shedeur Sanders? #DawgPound

"So it looks like we're going to go into the season, again, thinking Shedeur isn't getting enough reps."

- @PhilTaylor98

presented by @FanDuel https://t.co/bygEoJ2Swg pic.twitter.com/xENVYG19fc
— The Top Dawgs Show (@TopDawgShow) April 27, 2026

Unshockingly, a recent report signaled Watson as the team's perceived front-runner at this point in the offseason, where his experience weighs heavily. Gabriel's is still on the team -- seemingly, the odd man out -- and then there's sixth-rounder Taylen Green from Arkansas, plucked by Cleveland in the 2026 NFL Draft.

If indeed Sanders has lost the lead for the starting role at this point of the offseason program, it really doesn’t matter much. We're barely starting May.

Nonetheless, Sanders’ formula towards becoming the franchise quarterback hasn’t changed: rally his teammates around him, make them play better. Unlike last year, he should have more opportunities this offseason. But Sanders needs to play better himself. His progressions must be faster, and his passes more precise.

So no, the Browns aren’t sure if Sanders is a franchise quarterback just yet. They can't be. His numbers don’t point to that, and an open competition serves as confirmation. Instead, he’s still at a prove-it phase, and 2026 will be a tougher challenge.

Can he force the Browns into ignoring a top-round quarterback again next year, when the incoming class looks better and deeper than this year's? He’ll need to stave off Watson’s challenge, first.

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