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Jake Paul praises Shedeur Sanders.
Professional boxer and influencer Jake Paul believes Shedeur Sanders should be the Cleveland Browns‘ starting quarterback in 2026.
Paul, who’s from Cleveland and is a Browns fan, knows the team has been looking for their franchise quarterback for years. But he believes Sanders is the guy, as he shared some surprising praise for the young quarterback and declared him QB1 in Cleveland.
“Oh yeah, shout out to Shedeur. Shout out to the Cleveland Browns,” Paul told reporters in a media scrum after the Gina Carano-Ronda Rousey press conference. “He really proved himself and started to play amazing and get the hang of it, and get the pace of the NFL speed. It’s a really exciting future with him as the Browns quarterback.”
Although Paul believes Sanders should be the starting quarterback for the Browns, Cleveland has made it clear they will be looking at the quarterback market this offseason.
However, the Browns didn’t land Malik Willis or have yet to sign a quarterback. So, as of right now, it does appear it will be a competition between Sanders and Deshaun Watson for the starting job.
Sanders finished the year throwing for 1,400 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He was named to the Pro Bowl in his rookie season.
Sanders Reflects on Rookie Season
Although Sanders didn’t get any game action or starts until the second half of the season, he was still impressed with himself.
In Sanders’ first NFL game action, he hadn’t taken any snaps with the first-team offense. So, his rookie season was a learning curve, but it is something he can build off of.
“I proved to myself I’m able to dominate in this league,” Sanders said on Up and Adams. “I’m able to take completions, I’m able to put all that together. In games, we have flashes, but I know I’m capable of doing that. To do it on a consistent basis, that’s what the goal is.”
Although Sanders ended the year as the starting quarterback, new head coach Todd Monken said it would be an open competition for the job. Sanders, however, isn’t too concerned about that as he knows he has what it takes to be a starter.
“That’s what’s expected,” Sanders said. “I think each and every day, I have something to prove to everybody and to myself… It’s just hitting your landmarks on what you need to do. Focus more in depth on everything, on what you want to. And just be in control of your life and what you can control.”
Browns Having Open QB Competition
Cleveland could very well add another quarterback to the roster, whether that’s through the draft, free agency, or a trade.
But Monken said the team will have an open competition. However, he does hope he knows the starter early in training camp so they can get the majority of the first team reps.
“You would hope that by the time you get to training camp, that the reps that you’re giving to a quarterback is for your starter,” Monken said. “Whether we get to that place, I don’t know.”
It does appear to be a two-horse race between Sanders and Watson for the Browns’ starting QB job.