Getty
Shedeur Sanders #12 of the Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns wrapped up last season with the worst offense in the NFL, by almost any measure. The team earned a Pro Football Focus grade of 55.6, which was not just bad in the context of 2025, it is the worst grade a team’s offense has gotten in the two decades that PFF has been giving out grades. Certainly, it was a struggle for just about everyone on that side of the ball, but the quarterbacks–Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders took the brunt of the blame.
Sanders, at least, got the best results. He was 3-4 in his seven starts, after the Browns went 1-3 with Flacco and 1-5 with Gabriel. But his performance was disjointed, as he threw for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and was sacked a whopping 23 times. At NFL.com, Sanders was ranked 44th among the NFL’s quarterback, behind former Browns backup Tyler Huntley and 44-year-old Colts pensioner Phillip Rivers.
That’s why there’s some hope that perhaps former Browns starter Deshaun Watson has one decent year in him before Cleveland can wriggle out of his horrendous contract. Nevermind that Watson has not played in nearly two years because of two torn Achilles tendons, or that he wasn’t all that good to start 2024, before he was injured. A Watson revival is part of the Browns’ 2026 QB Hail Mary.
Browns Did not Pursue Outside QB Options
It’s a surprise then, that the Browns did nothing this offseason to bolster the team’s quarterback room. There were rumors and hints that a chase of Malik Willis, even if it were futile, would be on the docket, as well as a potential trade for Anthony Richardson. Neither materialized.
So the Browns will enter 2026 with Sanders as the incumbent, and no matter how much hope there is around Watson, we should see Sanders as the favorite to win the job. The lack of movement on free-agent quarterbacks, according to 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland, is a big deal for Sanders.
‘Huge Win’ for Shedeur Sanders
That’s from the station’s Anthony Lima, who says the less the Browns do in free agency, the better it is for Sanders.
“I would say it was a huge win—I cannot say for the quarterback room because they did not improve the quarterback room, until further notice,” Lima said. “For Shedeur Sanders, it is a massive win because, let’s face it, if they brought in Malik Willis, that would have been a big-time loss. They didn’t.
“So, you know, right now he is—it’s funny because everyone, nationally, says Deshaun Watson, it is his to lose. Because everybody remembers Deshaun Watson from five years ago. We’ve seen him more recently. It seems like that’s what everybody is saying. But … they want Shedeur Sanders to win, until further notice. When did they bring in Joe Flacco last year? Very, very late.”
GettyJoe Flacco was traded from the Cleveland Browns to the Cincinnati Bengals
Browns Prepared to Start Shedeur Sanders in 2026?
The Browns might yet do something in the quarterback market in the coming weeks. As Lima mentioned, they brought in Flacco in April last year. There’s also the chance that the Browns may draft a quarterback and add a little competition that way.
But the chances of the Browns drafting someone who could legitimately win the job from Sanders this spring and summer are slim. Increasingly, it is his job to lose, and the Browns seem to accept that.
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
More Heavy on Browns
Loading more stories