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Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders will compete for the QB1 job next season.
The Cleveland Browns are among the most likely candidates to acquire a top-line wide receiver this offseason, but one team insider is warning fans not to expect too much at the position in the coming NFL draft.
Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com suggested on Saturday, February 14 that the franchise might very well decide to go with two offensive linemen in Round 1 this April.
“Unless guard Joel Bitonio decides against retirement, the entire offensive line will have to be replaced,” Pluto wrote. “Massive resources in terms of draft picks and free agent money will go into the line. They should use one of their two first-round picks on a tackle. Don’t be surprised if they draft a pair of offensive tackles fairly high. Or perhaps a center and a tackle.”
Pluto’s sources told him that the team is looking to “add at least one wide receiver,” but also that it is hopeful “Jerry Jeudy has a revival” under new head coach/respected offensive mind Todd Monken, most recently the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens over the past three seasons.
Shedeur Sanders, Jerry Jeudy Struggled to Find Chemistry Last Season
GettyCleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy.
That is not exactly the best news for quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who had some friction with Jeudy over his first seven NFL starts (3-4).
The San Francisco 49ers smacked the Browns by a score of 26-8 back on November 30, during which Sanders and Jeudy got into a heated verbal argument on the sidelines following a missed connection.
“We spoke about it. We good,” Jeudy said after the game. “It was about a play. This is an emotional sport. Things like that happen in football.”
Sanders echoed Jeudy’s comments, but there is little question that the two struggled to get on the same page down the stretch of the season, including after their in-game confrontation.
Jeudy, a former first-round pick, landed on the Browns’ roster via a trade with the Denver Broncos in March of 2024 for the cost of future fifth- and sixth-round selections. He produced a career year, hauling in 90 catches for 1,229 yards and four TDs while earning his first, and only, Pro-Bowl nod.
However, Jeudy took a huge step back last season, tallying just 50 receptions for 602 yards and two scores. He also tallied 10 drops in 2025. Jeudy has two seasons remaining on a three-year extension worth $52.5 million in total and will play the upcoming campaign at 27 years old.
Tight End Harold Fannin Jr. May Prove Top Pass-Catching Option for Browns Again in 2026
GettyCleveland Browns tight end Harold Fannin Jr.
Meanwhile, the Browns won’t bring back longtime tight end David Njoku and the No. 2 wideout in terms of production in Cleveland last season was Isaiah Bond with 338 receiving yards.
Third-round rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. was beyond promising, however, posting 72 catches for 731 yards and six receiving TDs, all of which led the team.
In a best-case scenario, Fannin can potentially be the foundation for the passing game — much like Trey McBride was for the Arizona Cardinals last season or as Travis Kelce has been for the Kansas City Chiefs in the past. But even if Fannin functions as the WR1, the Browns are going to need more production from the receivers room.
Cleveland owns 10 picks in the draft, including Nos. 39 and 70, where the franchise might still procure a quality wideout. That said, some early mock drafts projected the Browns going after a player like Carnell Tate of Ohio State or Jordyn Tyson of Arizona State with the sixth-overall selection.
That appears less likely now, as insiders like Pluto and draft prognosticators like Field Yates of ESPN report and predict, respectively, that the offensive line is the primary concern. Which, by the way, isn’t at all a bad strategy.
It doesn’t matter how good Sanders becomes, or how good his pass-catching group is, if he has no time to throw. Not even Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes ever completed a pass while lying flat on their backs.
It does, however, mean that more patience will be needed under center, and it’s unclear how much rope Sanders has in a new offense under a new head coach who didn’t draft him and is almost certain to bring in new competition for the starting role this offseason.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
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