A Pro Football Hall of Famer went off on the Cleveland Browns for not anointing Shedeur Sanders as the team’s starting quarterback.
In an appearance on “Up & Adams,” former Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith blasted Browns coach Todd Monken for not wanting to commit to Sanders as his starting quarterback. Smith asked what the debate was, as there are no other starting-caliber quarterbacks on their roster.
“I guess coaches want to make sure that guys know that there is no security in their position, and they want them to compete for the job. No one wants to hand anything to them,” Smith said. “This is the way they’re treating Shedeur. But they handed it to Drake Maye. They handed it to [Justin Herbert]. They handed it to [Trevor Lawrence]. They also handed it to Sam Darnold.
“What does Cleveland have? Absolutely nothing. So what’s the debate? Are you going to give it to Dillon [Gabriel] again? … I haven’t seen anyone else earn the right to be that than him. And he hasn’t played enough, and they haven’t given him enough chances to be on the football field, and when he’s on the football field, they look better.”
Emmitt Smith went OFF about Shedeur Sanders.
— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) February 5, 2026
Wowwww. @UpAndAdamsShow pic.twitter.com/7B14clALU2
Smith is likely right that Monken does not want any of his quarterbacks to feel that they have the job nailed down. The comparison with the likes of Maye, Herbert, Lawrence, and Darnold does not exactly land either. All four of them were taken in the top ten of the NFL Draft, while Sanders slipped to the fifth round.
There is certainly a perception that Sanders is the strongest option on Cleveland’s roster right now. The Browns did go 3-4 with him starting, though he threw 10 interceptions to seven touchdowns.
There remains a chance the Browns might try to add another quarterback this offseason. Many, however, think Sanders should get the job. He will likely get the first crack at it unless the Browns do something huge.
