The Cleveland Browns face uncertainty at quarterback as Shedeur Sanders‘ future in Ohio is being questioned before the 2025 NFL season even concludes, as rumors suggest Arch Manning could be in line for the starting role.
As the Browns prepare for their regular-season finale at the Cincinnati Bengals, they are looking for what would be their fifth win of the campaign after cycling through Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and finally Sanders.
And the analyst Chris Oldach hinted at a potential quarterback shakeup through the 2026 NFL Draft as the AFC North team looks to try to slingshot itself into contention, sitting just five wins behind the division-topping Pittsburgh Steelers.
It turns out in his theory, that the 23-year-old Sanders could be moved aside for the 21-year-old from the Texas Longhorns program, despite an underwhelming campaign in the NCAA compared to the Heisman Trophy expectations prior to August.
“I don’t think they believe in Shedeur,” Oldach said. “But maybe they do.
“And I also just think that…Here’s the thing. Don’t get mad at me, okay? I think Haslam is still waiting for Arch Manning.”
Additionally, the head coach, Kevin Stefanski, also faces an uncertain future. After two disappointing seasons, Jimmy Haslam may seek a change at the helm and Oldach believes it could be time for the 42-year-old to “move on”.
Is Shedeur Sanders playing bad football?
This comment sparked discussion among Browns and Longhorns fans, highlighting Manning‘s continued influence in NFL draft speculation, despite the fact that the nephew of Peyton and Eli is expected to follow their career path with a second year in college as the Texas starter.
And Sanders is proving to be a solid quarterback himself after a three-touchdown, 364-yard outing against the Tennessee Titans was backed up with a 157-yard outing against the 11-5 Buffalo Bills and a 186-yard performance against the Steelers.
Overall, he has struggled with interceptions (10), he has 1242 passing yards and seven touchdowns from 174 attempts through six games as a starter.
It’s nothing spectacular, but it’s good enough behind a weak offensive line with limited receiving options.
For example, that compares to 918 yards and six touchdowns for Gabriel on 180 attempts across an identical amount of games as starter, although he left the Ravens clash on November 16 early through injury.
And with Manning deciding to stay at Texas for another season and delay his entry into the 2026 NFL Draft, it seems as though Sanders will be safe from the highly rated youngster for now, although he will have Deshaun Watson to contend with.
In the Steelers matchup, Sanders showed flashes of franchise-caliber potential, throwing a 28-yard touchdown to Fannin Jr in the first quarter.
He completed 17 of 23 passes for 186 yards but also had two interceptions.
The Browns‘ win over Pittsburgh eliminated their chance at the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft. The team is now projected to select No. 2, according to The Athletic‘s latest mock draft.
The Browns won only two of eight games between Nov. 16 against the Ravens and Dec. 28 against the Steelers.
Their final regular-season matchup on January 4 against the Bengals could influence evaluations for 2026. Shedeur will aim to impress.
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