Shedeur Sanders is the No. 2 quarterback for the Cleveland Browns behind starting signal-caller Dillon Gabriel, and some in the NFL would like to see him get an opportunity over Gabriel, who’s just 1-4 as the team’s starter.
The Browns shook up their quarterback situation earlier in the season, when they traded Joe Flacco, who was their starting quarterback for Week 1 but went just 1-3 in his starts.
While Gabriel is currently starting for the Browns, his numbers haven’t been strong enough to quiet to talk that Sanders may take his spot sooner rather than later. In five starts and seven total games this season, Gabriel has completed 59% of his passes for 869 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. He’s also averaging just 5.0 yards per attempt, which is the lowest in the NFL for qualified players, according to NFL research.
So, it’s not outrageous to think that Sanders could get an opportunity at some point. But he may soon have some fresh competition.
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Josh Edwards of CBS Sports posted a new 2026 mock draft, in which he makes a big prediction about someone stepping onto the Browns and giving Sanders a run for his money next season. Edwards predicts that the Browns will have the No. 4 pick and go with quarterback Dante Moore of Oregon.
“Cleveland would be choosing between Alabama’s Ty Simpson and Moore in this scenario,” he stated in the piece. “It’s also worth noting that all three quarterbacks mentioned so far still have remaining eligibility. If the Browns can finally land their quarterback of the future, years of frustration will be forgotten.
“Shedeur Sanders will start at some point this season, but the reality is he couldn’t do enough to deter the franchise from drafting a quarterback.”
So, Sanders could find himself competing for starting reps again next season with someone other than Gabriel. However, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN says that the Browns want to give Gabriel a long time to prove himself at starting quarterback and don’t plan to give Sanders the role soon.
“Coming out of the Week 9 bye, the Browns’ plan was to give Dillon Gabriel a fairly long runway of games to evaluate what they have in him,” Fowler notes. “But as we see with young quarterbacks and teams in transition all the time, those plans can change. The public pressure in Cleveland is mounting. But I simply haven’t sensed that the Browns have been eager to turn to Shedeur Sanders.”
There is certainly public pressure on the Browns to bring up Sanders, but it’s not working just yet.
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