Why Shedeur Sanders has more at stake than any other Browns player in 2025

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders has learned very quickly that he is no longer in Colorado.

While Sanders is off to a 1-1 record as the starter on the Browns, there have been some ups and downs as he tries to prove that his fifth-round pick status was not worthy of his talents.

But with the future uncertain for Cleveland beyond this season, ESPN's Bill Barnwell named Sanders as one of the 17 players and coaches in the NFL with the most at stake the rest of the season.

"Is Sanders an NFL-caliber starter? Not so far," Barnwell said. "The 23-year-old has been below average or worse across the board by just about every measure of quarterback play. We've seen some of the bad habits Sanders showed with taking big sacks at Colorado and in the preseason. He isn't exactly surrounded with great infrastructure in Cleveland, to be fair, but Sanders' 11.8 Total QBR ranks 31st out of 32 quarterbacks over the past three weeks."

In the three games Sanders has appeared in, he has thrown for 405 yards and two touchdowns to two interceptions with a 50.8% completion percentage. In Sanders' defense of the completion percentage, which has increased each week. He had 25% in his first game, 55% in Week 12, and 64% in the Week 13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

It's clear that while it isn't perfect right now, Sanders is making good progress and is trending in the right direction. Barnwell shared what the rookie quarterback has to do to keep the starting job in 2026.

"If Sanders can play well in a game against one of the league's worst defenses, it would stake a case for him to start the rest of the way, giving Sanders a meaningful sample of a rookie season to establish himself as an NFL quarterback."

"Adequately running an NFL offense over the rest of 2025, though, might be the difference between Sanders quickly washing out of the league or getting an extended run as a backup and occasional spot starter."

This season is a poor example of what Sanders can do in an NFL offense, as he lacks the talent around him to step up and help him perform well. Outside of Quinshon Judkins, Harold Fannin Jr., and Joel Bitonio, this offense has a ton of repairing to do during the offseason.

Cleveland could still go into free agency or make a trade in the offseason to bring in another quarterback, or they might even turn the keys back over to Deshaun Watson. Despite the lack of support, it all falls to Sanders to prove that he is the franchise quarterback the Browns have been desperate to have.