Shedeur Sanders enters his second NFL season with considerably more momentum than he had a year ago. The former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, falling short of a projected top five pick despite his production and profile coming out of college.
Sanders spent much of his rookie season playing behind Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel before getting his opportunity late in the year. He made his NFL debut in Week 11 after Gabriel suffered a concussion against the Baltimore Ravens and eventually earned the starting job for the remainder of the season. Former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said at the time that Sanders had “constantly and consistently gotten better” each week.
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Despite the promising season, Sanders entered the offseason expected to sit behind Deshaun Watson. After returning to full health, Watson was widely viewed as the favorite to open the 2026 season as Cleveland’s starting quarterback under new head coach Todd Monken.
That may no longer be the case, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who reported that Sanders has made significant progress during offseason workouts and has narrowed the gap on Watson.
“Deshaun Watson went into the spring as the clear favorite, and then Shedeur Sanders has bridged the gap at least somewhat.”
He added that the competition is now expected to extend into the preseason before a final decision is made.
The update represents a notable development for Sanders, who now appears to be firmly in the mix for the starting role. The biggest challenge moving forward will be proving he can consistently operate Monken’s offense while cutting down on the turnovers that occasionally surfaced during his rookie campaign.
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Sanders finished his rookie season with 1,400 passing yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions across eight appearances. His breakout performance came in Week 14 against the Tennessee Titans. Sanders threw for 364 yards and three touchdowns while adding a rushing score, delivering the best game of his young career.
The Browns open the 2026 regular season against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Sept. 13 at EverBank Stadium. At training camp, all eyes will be on Cleveland’s quarterback battle and whether Sanders can complete his climb to the top of the depth chart.
