Browns Predicted to Dump Shedeur Sanders for 'True Franchise QB'

The Cleveland Browns are being projected to replace Shedeur Sanders with another quarterback.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) jokes around during NFL training camp practice at the Cleveland Browns training facility, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Berea, Ohio. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Shedeur Sanders is one of four quarterbacks competing for the Cleveland Browns' starting job heading into the 2025 NFL campaign, and while most do not expect him to be under center come Week 1, there are those who believe Sanders could be the Browns' quarterback of the future.

But does Cleveland actually think that?

The Browns went 3-14 last season and are expected to be one of the worst teams in the league again this year, and with the 2026 NFL Draft class being rife with quarterback talent, Cleveland could ultimately try to take a signal-caller in the first round next April.

That is exactly what Jacob Infante of Pro Football Network is predicting the Browns to do, as he has them landing the No. 1 overall pick of the draft and taking Texas Longhorns phenom Arch Manning.

"Although the Cleveland Browns drafted Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in 2025, neither came with the kind of draft capital that typically signals a long-term commitment," Infante wrote. "If Cleveland finishes with the league’s worst record, they’d be smart to take a swing at a true franchise QB."

Infante qualifies his statement by saying that there is "no guarantee" Manning will declare for the draft next year, but that if he does, the Browns will jump on him if he's there.

Sanders was a fifth-round selection, and Cleveland nabbed Gabriel in Round 3, so Infante is right: the Browns do not have a significant obligation to either player moving forward.

Now, if Sanders gets to play this fall and flashes some serious potential, that's a different story, but based on everything we are seeing in training camp thus far, it appears that the Browns are treating the Colorado Buffaloes product for what he is: a Day 3 pick.

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