What Shedeur Sanders needs to do to earn the Browns' starting job for 2026

Cleveland Browns’ head coach Kevin Stefanski finally caved in to the pressure -- and reason -- naming fifth-round rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders starter for the remaining four games of the 2025 season.

While Sanders will finally get the chance to practice and play without having to look over his shoulder just in case Stefanski wants to plug his “supercomputer” -- rookie third-rounder Dillon Gabriel -- back into the offense, by no means are we to assume just yet that Sanders is expected to remain as the team’s starter when the 2026 season comes around; that still needs to be earned.

So, what does Sanders have to do to lock up the starting role beyond the four remaining contests of a failed 2025 campaign: Let’s lay out the plans:

Higher completion percentage

Sanders left Colorado after two years as the FBS all-time leader in completion percentage with an astonishing 71.8 percent of completed passes. As a pro, Sanders is completing just 52.4 percent of his throws -- a number placing him 47th in the NFL, more than 7 points below Dillon Gabriel, the man he replaced.

While Sanders’ completion percentage would have been just fine in the 1940s, the modern NFL routinely sees the best quarterbacks completing over 70 percent of their throws on any given Sunday.

The Browns need to know that every time Sanders puts the ball in the air, the probability of the ball ending up in the hands of a Cleveland player is better than a simple coin toss. And, a higher completion percentage should also translate into a higher percentage of successful second and third down conversions with less yards to go, and therefore more sustained drives.

Better patience in the pocket

This is an area where Sanders has gotten better with every game he’s played, but he’s still not where he’s supposed to be. Part of it has to do with Cleveland’s health issues along the offensive line, but even so, Sanders will sometimes lower his eyes and take off well before any real pressure is applied from the defense.

When this happens, it can lead to Sanders not going through his progressions properly, him not being ready to throw the ball when a receiver gets open, or him shrinking the field unnecessarily by running towards the sideline, effectively canceling the play’s backside.

Sure, staying healthy is paramount to Sanders’ potential success, and everyone remembers that Gabriel opened the door for Sanders involuntarily by leaving a game with a concussion. But part of the job of being an NFL quarterback is standing in the pocket long enough for the routes to develop.

Not panicking in the face of pressure, whether real or simulated, will help Sanders not only complete more passes, but also help him complete longer passes.

Throwing with anticipation

This is probably Sanders’ biggest hurdle. However, it’s also an area where he has shown noticeable improvement, from his first snaps against the Ravens, to his best game to date, against the Titans.

Playing quarterback in the NFL is a little bit more nuanced than just throwing hard and letting someone run under the ball. Save for a handful of broken plays, quarterbacks do not throw to the receivers, but to the spots where the receiver is supposed to be. This means the pass has to come out before the receiver breaks and turns his head to look for the ball.

Sanders himself touched on this point on Wednesday, stating: “So that's where you see the improvement because we had that leap of faith. You know, this week, this past week, with knowing the receivers’ gonna be in the right places. Looking everybody in the eye saying, ‘I’ma be there, I got you,’ building that foundation, building that trust. So when I trust, then you get the best out of me.”

Time and reps will do wonders for Sanders and his receivers in this specific area of the game.

Considering Cleveland’s dismal résumé developing quarterbacks, nothing can be taken for granted -- not even the son of a Hall of Fame player on the rise, who has clearly won over the locker room. Sanders must keep improving in order to deter the Browns from picking up some competition in next year’s draft, and instead opt to surround him with a better supporting cast.

The dice aren’t cast yet on what Cleveland will do in April, but it’s on Sanders now to influence that decision through the next four games.