There is no doubt that the Browns are still paying the price for the mistake they made after the 2021 season, when they moved on from Baker Mayfield -who gave the franchise its first playoff win since 1994- to sign Deshaun Watson to a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract, which ultimately turned into a complete failure.
Between suspensions and injuries, Deshaun Watson has played only 19 games since then, and in 2025 he did not play a single game due to injury. As a result, the Browns went from having Mayfield, a quarterback who has proven he can win in the league, to being left with practically nothing. This season was a complete circus, and the player who produced slightly better results was Shedeur Sanders.
When the preseason began, there were four quarterbacks on the roster, none of whom had played for the Browns in 2024. Before the season started, Cleveland traded away Kenny Pickett and kept Joe Flacco along with rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. All of them had their opportunities, but none truly impressed.
Shedeur Sanders still needs to improve
There is no doubt that, out of all of them, Shedeur Sanders looked the best with the Cleveland Browns, although it is nothing to get excited about. Sanders did not get his opportunity as a starter until Week 11, after Dillon Gabriel suffered a concussion. Gabriel struggled badly in his six starts, with an offense that looked completely stagnant.
The energy of the offense changed with Shedeur Sanders, although it faded quickly during games. According to Anthony Lima, a Cleveland analyst on 92.3 The Fan, the former Colorado quarterback still has areas to improve: “Why are Dillon’s numbers better (than Shedeur)? He’s not committing the same mistakes. That’s one thing Shedeur has to improve on. He’s demonstrated some positive attributes, the deep ball while getting hit – not everyone can do that.”
In his six starts, Dillon Gabriel threw seven touchdowns and two interceptions, along with a passer rating of 80.8, while Shedeur Sanders finished with seven touchdowns and ten interceptions. Even so, despite what the numbers suggest in favor of Gabriel, the on-field results told a slightly different story: the offense functioned better with Shedeur and produced explosive plays, something that did not happen with Dillon Gabriel.
Despite the ongoing debate between Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, the quarterback with the edge to be the starter next season is Deshaun Watson, who is fully healthy and ready to compete for the job. However, the final decision will be made by the team’s new head coach, who has yet to be named.
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