Shedeur Sanders‘ position with the Cleveland Browns could be at risk as the team prepares for the 2026 NFL season, with competition rising from draft prospects and the uncertain status of Deshaun Watson.
The Browns may use their first-round pick in 2026 on a quarterback, despite adding Sanders and Dillon Gabriel last year, and Ty Simpson is widely regarded as the top remaining talent after the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner, Fernando Mendoza.
Simpson spent four seasons at Alabama with the Crimson Tide, backing up in his first three years before starting last season and guiding the team to the Rose Bowl in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals.
There, they fell to Mendoza‘s Indiana Hoosiers as Simpson finished his collegiate career with 3,948 yards and 33 touchdowns.
Cleveland holds the sixth overall pick in April, leaving the door open to draft another quarterback, which could directly affect how head coach Todd Monken views Sanders‘ role.
However, Todd McShay said that he does not want Simpson to end up with the Browns, where Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Sanders himself all struggled throughout the 2025 NFL season.
“I’m a big Ty Simpson fan,” McShay said on Up & Adams. “I’m already starting to hear, people are like, could he go as high as Cleveland?
“And I hope for Ty Simpson that he does not become a Cleveland Brown. They don’t have the protection, they don’t have the weapons.
“I’d love to see him with the Rams. Ty Simpson is going to somewhere in the first and it won’t shock me if it’s in the Top-15.”
Sanders may face pressure from Deshaun Watson in the 2026 NFL season
Sanders began his rookie year as third-string behind Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel but was promoted to backup and then starter in Week 11 after Gabriel suffered a concussion, finishing the season with 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns.
Watson‘s potential return complicates the quarterback race. He missed 2025 after a ruptured Achilles re-ruptured during rehab, requiring surgery, and his practice designation under the PUP list offers no guarantee of early 2026 playing time.
Recovery timelines for torn Achilles injuries typically exceed a year, especially after re-injury. Watson‘s return to practice is promising, but whether he starts immediately is uncertain, leaving Sanders and Gabriel in line for snaps.
Financial factors also affect decisions. Watson is owed $46 million fully guaranteed in 2026 and carries a projected $80.7 million cap hit, making it costly for Cleveland to release him and limiting roster flexibility regardless of his playing status.
Watson‘s pre-injury performance in Cleveland was mixed, showing flashes but not elite output. The Browns have not committed to him as starter, instead planning a competition where Sanders could retain the role he earned during 2025.
With draft prospects, veteran contracts and health uncertainty, Sanders may face one of the toughest battles of his young career to secure the Browns‘ starting quarterback job in 2026.
But fortunately for Shedeur, Monken stressed, “Playing time must be earned during the offseason and training camp.”
So whilst Watson‘s prior success is acknowledged, health and current ability will ultimately determine the 2026 starter.
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