After three starts in which Shedeur Sanders clearly looked much better than Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel -both of whom had opportunities before the former Colorado Buffaloes star- Kevin Stefanski named him the starter for the rest of the season. Without a doubt, Sanders will now have the chance to show his full potential as the leader of the Cleveland Browns’ offense heading into 2026.
There is no doubt that Shedeur Sanders’ path in the NFL has been difficult, especially because he fell to the fifth round of the Draft. When the Cleveland Browns selected him, the team already had three other quarterbacks: veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, plus rookie Dillon Gabriel, who had been drafted in the third round.
So when Shedeur Sanders arrived in Cleveland with the 144th pick, he was immediately considered the last option on the depth chart and never had the chance to showcase his talent. Dillon Gabriel was the only rookie given consideration -Shedeur wasn’t- but now time has proven Sanders right. Based on his first three starts, he is clearly better than Gabriel.
Shedeur Sanders will get his chance in 2026
Shedeur Sanders is coming off the best performance by a Cleveland Browns quarterback since 1950. Deion Sanders’ son threw for over 300 yards, had three touchdown passes, and added another score on the ground. His only major mistake was an interception in the third quarter -yes, it was his fault- but even then he delivered an impressive snowy performance against the Tennessee Titans.
There is still a long road ahead before 2026, but for now Sanders has a great opportunity and must finish the season strong. Mary Kay Cabot, Browns insider, appeared on The 92.3 Fan Cleveland and shared her thoughts on Sanders’ future: “Shedeur is auditioning for the Browns’ starting job in ’26. I think it’s going to be hard to definitively prove… I’m of the mind they will still have to go out and draft a QB.”
The Browns’ offseason will be interesting. The first step is determining whether Kevin Stefanski will remain the Head Coach in 2026; then the team must decide what to do at quarterback, especially after last Saturday’s report indicating that Deshaun Watson will stay with the team next season and will have the chance to compete for the starting job.
Remember that in 2022, the Browns moved on from Baker Mayfield to acquire Watson for $230 million in a fully guaranteed five-year deal. But between suspensions, injuries, and poor performances, the trade has been a failure and remains the biggest mistake of Andrew Berry’s tenure as general manager.
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