Shedeur Sanders made the first start of his NFL career on Sunday, and while there were certainly some ups and downs, he led the Cleveland Browns to a victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Sanders went 11-for-20 with 209 yards, a touchdown and an interception in the 24-10 win, a performance that featured a beautiful 52-yard throw to wide receiver Isaiah Bond while on the run.
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But while Sanders definitely showed more promise than Dillon Gabriel, he still has an awful lot to prove in order to establish himself as the Browns’ starting quarterback for 2026.
Jason Lloyd of The Athletic questions if another year of Sanders would even be worth it for the Browns.
“For now, the Browns have to see more of Sanders, because it isn't healthy to go through this again next year,” Lloyd wrote. “Sanders will do enough to demonstrate he can be the starting quarterback next year or that he should be on another team. The presence his name casts over this organization and the relentless scrutiny over every word uttered and every minor decision made isn't healthy for a franchise that doesn't have a culture healthy enough to withstand it.”
Cleveland selected Sanders in the fifth round of the NFL Draft last April, a couple of rounds after it had already bagged Gabriel in the third round. The Browns have been under the microscope ever since, with much of the football world wondering when they would actually give Sanders a chance.
“Some teams are built to handle a little chaos. We have 25 years of evidence that the Cleveland Browns are not one of them,” Lloyd added.
Lloyd definitely makes a fair point. Funny thing is, with the Browns improving to 3-8 with their Week 12 triumph, they are now that much further away from being able to nab one of the top quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Cleveland does own a pair of first-round picks next spring, so it can always trade up for a quarterback if need be, but the Browns may have actually hurt themselves by beating the Raiders, who are now 2-9 and would also hold the tiebreaker over Cleveland when it comes down to determining draft position.
Of course, if Sanders performs well for the remainder of 2025, perhaps the Browns won’t even have to worry about selecting another signal-caller.
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