Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders received some kind words from Myles Garrett.
Getty
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders received some kind words from Myles Garrett.
The Cleveland Browns appear content to let Shedeur Sanders enter the preseason as the presumed favorite to win the QB1 job in a competition with Deshaun Watson — and maybe Dillon Gabriel — but the team’s longterm plans/hopes involve another young signal-caller with a famous last name.
Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland revealed that the Browns remain very much interested in quarterback Arch Manning of Texas, who Cleveland should at least have a chance of attaining in the 2027 NFL draft based on 2026 win projections across the league and the depth of next year’s QB class.
“Do you think [Browns owner] Jimmy [Haslam] is still hot on Arch Manning?” a radio host asked Grossi on Monday, March 23.
“Absolutely, yep,” Grossi responded. “I mean, he’s gotta have a good year, Arch.”
Arch Manning Had Quality Season at Texas, Fell Short of Lofty Expectations
arch manning
GettyTexas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning.
Manning, the grandson of NFL quarterback Archie Manning and the nephew of Super Bowl-winning QBs Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, became the Longhorns’ full-time starter in 2025.
He began the season as the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, though things didn’t go quite so smoothly or quite so well as many analysts expected for Manning or for the Texas football program.
The Longhorns went 10-3 on the season, defeating Michigan in the Citrus Bowl. Their losses came on the road to then No. 3 Ohio State in the season-opener, on the road to an unranked Florida team in Texas’ fifth game of the campaign and on the road against Georgia, then ranked No. 5, on November 16.
The first two losses were by one score each — seven and eight points, respectively — but the defeat at Georgia came by an embarrassing tally of 35-10. Texas failed to earn a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff, which the Indiana Hoosiers ultimately won.
Manning completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 3,163 yards 26 TDs and seven INTs. He also rushed the football for 399 yards and 10 scores as a redshirt sophomore. Manning will play next season at 22 years old and will have one year of collegiate eligibility remaining beyond the 2026 campaign, though most analysts expect he will enter the draft in April 2027.
Browns May Still Add to QB Room This Offseason in Free Agency, NFL Draft
Patriots QB Josh Dobbs
GettyFormer New England Patriots quarterback Josh Dobbs.
Cleveland’s interest in Manning doesn’t mean he will end up there, though the depth of the 2027 QB class is such that the Browns may have a shot to land the future third-generation pro even if they don’t end up with the No. 1 overall pick.
Sanders will have some say in where Cleveland selects next year if he can best Watson for the QB1 job, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com and Zac Jackson of The Athletic, among others, have reported that the most likely scenario is Sanders and Watson enter the preseason as the top two candidates to start Week 1.
That is not to say that the Browns won’t add to the position group, either via free agency or a player in the draft. Ty Simpson of Alabama could fall to the mid-20s, where Cleveland could potentially draft him with the No. 24 overall pick, its second selection in Round 1 after picking No. 6.
Other veterans on the open market, such as Joshua Dobbs, whom the New England Patriots released on Monday, could end up on the roster and in the conversation for QB1 as offseason workouts begin later this spring and continue into the summer.