Shedeur Sanders seems to be solidifying his status in Cleveland.
The Cleveland Browns quarterback Sanders appears to be the “favorite” to win the team’s QB1 job for next season, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reported on Friday. Sanders is expected to be in a competition with fellow Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson during training camp this year.
Jackson further adds that Sanders may only need to offer “at least league-average quarterback play” in order for Cleveland to finally pull the plug on the Watson era. You can read Jackson’s full report on the situation here.
Sanders, 24, was the Browns’ fifth-round pick (No. 144 overall) last year. While Joe Flacco was Cleveland’s QB1 to begin the 2025 season, Sanders ended up taking the starting job after Flacco was traded and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel got injured.
Overall in 2025, Sanders threw for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns to 10 interceptions (and also adding another touchdown on the ground). Though his numbers were obviously unimpressive, Sanders actually earned a Pro Bowl selection after a number of quarterbacks around the NFL were unable to participate in the event.
That said, the wild card is Watson, the controversial former NFL passing yards leader. Watson is set to be healthy again after missing all of 2025 due to a re-rupture of his Achilles tendon and has recently been getting hyped up by Browns ownership too.
Other than Sanders and Watson, the only other QB currently on the Cleveland roster is Gabriel (though they could add another signal-caller in this month’s NFL Draft). That said, the expectation appears to be that the ex-Colorado star Sanders will win the starting job to begin the 2026 campaign.
