Shedeur Sanders is entering his second season with the Cleveland Browns. As a rookie, he made eight appearances and seven starts, throwing for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 68.1 passer rating.
He is now fighting to keep that starting role, which he held at the end of the 2025 season. It's become a two-man battle between the former Colorado Buffalo and veteran Deshaun Watson. Both are earning opportunities to showcase their talents during Cleveland's offseason workouts and practices.
However, ESPN Cleveland's Tony Rizzo stated that "I'm hearing there are talks, ongoing calls, about the availability of Shedeur Sanders."
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The rumors have begun to die down, though. During an appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show," NFL Network analyst Tom Pelissero shut down the notion that the Browns are looking to move the 24-year-old.
“Anything out there about like they’re looking to trade him, I would put zero stock in that,” Pelissero said. “If I were sitting here right now, June 24th and had to make an educated guess, I’d say he and Deshaun Watson are both on the team in September and quite possible both play.”
With Sanders expected to stay put in Cleveland, he is nearing an important step in this quarterback battle. Browns veterans are set to report to training camp on July 28, while rookies will show up a bit earlier on July 23.
It's been a close race so far, with head coach Todd Monken refusing to decide on a starter during mandatory minicamp on June 9, saying, "once we get to the fall, we'll have to dissect the reps how we see fit."
Sanders' development this offseason will be a key indicator of whether or not he can come out on top. With trade rumors beginning to shut down, he can put his focus into preparing for training camp.
