Shedeur Sanders showed flashes in his rookie season, going 3-4 in his seven starts after sitting behind Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel, and now it sounds like he could have a legitimate shot at being the Browns' QB1 in 2026.
The Browns decided to move off head coach Kevin Stefanski this offseason after six years in Cleveland — hiring former Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken and starting anew at the coaching spot.
And while Shedeur is far from a proven commodity at this point, the organization is reportedly willing to give him another look now HC is in town.
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Shedeur Sanders to have 'runway' to Browns starting job next season
Per The Athletic's Zac Jackson, there appears to be a path for Sanders to be the starter heading into training camp and the preseason. With the Browns and NFL writer predicting that last year's fifth-round pick will get “runway to be the No. 1 quarterback for the summer and early fall.”
While that may be the case though, Jackson does caution that the team may look at drafting another QB "fairly early" this April, if not in 2027, with veteran Deshaun Watson as “a fallback option because he has to be.”
But it's expected that Shedeur gets a chance in Year 1 of Monken's program as Cleveland attempts to climb out of the basement of the AFC North for good this time.
Myles Garrett: Browns 'looking at [Shedeur] as the guy'
During a recent appearance on Micah Parsons' podcast ahead of Super Bowl 60, Browns Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett revealed that Shedeur is in the driver's seat right now to be the team's QB1 but he's going to have to earn it.
"We're going to give him a shot to prove that he's the guy," Garrett said. "We're not going to give anyone that title until they go out there and earn it. He was the last person to be on the field, and he showed some flashes. So, we're going to give him an opportunity to show what he can really do, uncork the ball."
"... I feel like everyone on the roster is going to get a shot. Now, [Sanders] was the last guy on the field, so he's going to obviously get first [opportunity]. And Deshaun, whoever's on the roster, they're going to get a real look," he continued.
Sanders finished with 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions on his way to an admittedly laughable Pro Bowl appearance. But nothing says Shedeur can't make the leap in Year 2 to being one of the league's more promising young stars.