Shedeur Sanders is experiencing an offseason similar to the one he had as a rookie last year. He’s been splitting reps, and despite the expectations surrounding him, he’s still far from locking down the Cleveland Browns‘ starting quarterback job for the 2026 season. Earlier in the offseason, Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot reported that Deshaun Watson has the inside track to start Week 1 and that the team “should declare him QB1 asap and let the 1st team offense start to cook.”

Cabot does not happen to be the only one to feel that Sanders does not deserve the starting spot. However, there are a few who are also backing the QB, including Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter, who has expressed his disappointment with how the Browns have approached Sanders’ development.

“I thought he was going to be starting in the second year. I thought he’s going to be a first-round pick, sit a little bit his first year, play a little bit, and then take over his second year,” Carter said. “So, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if week number that he’s the starter. If you look at what he did last year, you can’t be surprised with the new coach by that jump, and especially given all the information behind the scenes of how his career was almost sabotaged, like the lack of reps, the lack of people believing in him. That’s a tough environment to work in, and then now, he’s splitting the reps.”

Shedeur Sanders was projected to be on-boarded within the first 21 picks of the 2025 season. Instead, the Colorado Buffaloes’ product historically slid to the fifth round before the Browns picked him. Still, the struggles were far from over for the signal-caller. Under Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland entered a crowded quarterback competition that included Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Sanders on the depth chart.

For a QB who came in after a brilliant season in college, where he threw for 4,134 yards on 74% completion, this was not an easy decision to accept. Moreover, the environment was not welcoming as there was always a dark cloud of criticism over whatever Sanders did.

Just when it seemed like his rookie season would not get any worse, he was named the third-string quarterback last, with Dillion Gabriel starting over him. When asked by the media how he felt about the situation, Sanders merely shrugged and stayed silent. However, that silence said a lot. The reputation he brought from college had all been forgotten.

Not many were on board when Sanders took reps behind Gabriel; others simply believed that Stefanski’s decision made sense, given that Gabriel was a third-round pick. Stefanski, meanwhile, downplayed the decision to place Sanders behind Gabriel during the rookie minicamp.

“I wouldn’t look into anything,” the former Browns’ head coach said. “You’ll see the whole weekend, going through the spring, we don’t play too close attention to who’s in there first.”

That said, after a tough quarterback competition that was trimmed down to a three-way competition after Pickett left Cleveland, Shedeur got the opportunity to impress in the preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers. He completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns without a turnover. However, the uncertainty persisted around the quarterback.

After missing the second preseason game due to an oblique injury, Shedeur Sanders was available against the Los Angeles Rams in the preseason finale. But the Browns didn’t bring him in until late in the game, and he was also taken out of the game, as he watched Tyler Huntley finish the game from the sidelines. The quarterback struggled tremendously, as he completed 3-of-6 passes for 14 yards, while taking five sacks. But the Browns’ decision to take him out led Chad Johnson to accuse the team of sabotaging Sanders.

“He didn’t play well. Obviously, he stunk it up. But let me clarify why he stunk it up,” Johnson said. “He comes in for the third quarter, the players that are playing in the third quarter, will they make the roster? A lot of them will not. I’m all for quarterback competition, but if you’re going to put him in a situation that isn’t advantageous to him and competing? Boom.

“Give him a chance with the play calling. You know you have an offensive line that isn’t playing well, so what do we do? Why not just play the short game so we can get the ball out of his hands fast, to run a competent god damn offence. Purposely running plays that are 10, 12, 15-yard routes, knowing damn well the offensive line isn’t going to hold up, is ridiculous. Outside of that, Kevin Stefanski not letting Shedeur come back into the game to finish the two-minute drill? I’ve never seen that in my life. What are we doing?”

However, Shedeur Sanders had met with criticism even before his historic draft slide. Per reports, one NFL coach told the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero that “He’s so entitled,” while also adding, “He takes unnecessary sacks. He never plays on time. He has horrible body language. He blames teammates, but the biggest thing is, he’s not that good.”

It was only after injuries on the roster that Sanders got to start for the Browns. He threw for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, while leading the Browns to a 3-4 record in 7 starts. Fast forward to now, and he’s competing to get the QB1 nod against Deshaun Watson. But it’s still unclear whether the new coaching staff will name him the starting quarterback.