Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Jarvis Landry has seen enough of Shedeur Sanders to make up his mind.
The former Cleveland Browns wide receiver offered a strong take on Sanders’ future with the team on his podcast 4th and South, voicing confidence in the second-year quarterback.
“I think Shedeur [Sanders] has the talent. I think he’s a baller. He can really get his guys involved. It’s really just more of putting the pieces together in a way that they play to his strengths,” Landry said. “I don’t know if they did that enough last year. This year would be a good indication of hopefully he can make that leap. Shedeur has the gifts. I don’t think they take another quarterback.”
Landry knows a thing or two about the state of the Browns’ organization. The five-time Pro Bowler played four seasons in Cleveland, recording 288 catches for 3,560 yards and 15 touchdowns. He departed after the 2021 season.
Landry: Cleveland Didn’t Set Sanders Up to Succeed
The Browns have been criticized for how they handled Sanders last season, from the lack of reps to having him play behind a patchwork offensive line.
Sanders threw for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in those seven starts, posting a 3-4 record. The turnovers were a legitimate concern. But so was the infrastructure around him.
Landry addressed that dynamic on his podcast, saying the analytics-heavy decision-making in Cleveland may have forced former head coach Kevin Stefanski’s hand in ways that hurt the Sanders’ development.
“I don’t know how much (Stefanski) is involved in the analytical side of things, but in Cleveland, it was a huge part,” Landry said. “I think that played a part in some of the decisions he was forced to make, even with Shedeur Sanders.
Todd Monken Brings a Different Approach for Browns
Landry’s optimism about Sanders in 2026 is at least partly tied to the coaching change. New head coach Todd Monken has made no secret of his belief in what Sanders can become.
At the NFL Combine in February, Monken called Sanders’ playmaking ability “elite.”
“I think what you see is elite playmaking ability. That’s in him,” Monken said. “You’ve seen it. We’ve seen it. You saw it in college. You saw it on tape last year. Sure, there’s a ways to go. But what rookie isn’t, I mean, what first year player doesn’t have a long way to go? So, I’m excited to get started with him and all of our quarterbacks and all of our players.”
However, he also declared it’s an open competition among Sanders, Deshaun Watson, and Dillon Gabriel for the QB1 job.
Browns general manager Andrew Berry said the biggest thing he wants to see from Sanders this season is continued growth — specifically, playing more efficiently and protecting the ball while maintaining his ability to generate explosive plays out of structure.
Monken’s offensive system, which helped Lamar Jackson win an MVP award in Baltimore, is widely seen as a better fit for Sanders’ skill set than what Stefanski ran. Whether that translates to a Week 1 starting nod remains to be seen.