Shedeur Sanders stepped in as the starting quarterback in Week 12 last season. And after making two more starts, he earned the job for the rest of the season. Now, the Cleveland Browns face a big decision about whether Sanders is their guy heading into 2026, and head coach Todd Monken has already dropped hints about where the team might be leaning.

“I think what you see is elite playmaking ability,” said Todd. “That’s in him (Shedeur). You have seen it, we have seen it, we saw it in college, and we saw it on tape last year. Sure, there are ways to go, but what rookie isn’t? I mean, what first-year player doesn’t have a long way to go? I’m excited to get started with him and all of our quarterbacks and all of our players.”

If the Browns do decide to stick with Shedeur Sanders as their starting quarterback, he can’t afford to feel too comfortable. After the way his rookie season played out, nothing is guaranteed heading into 2026. He’ll likely have to prove himself all over again to truly lock down the job for the long haul.

Like many first-year players, the 24-year-old endured ups and downs in his rookie campaign, yet he occasionally showed his immense potential and what he is capable of in the long run. He displayed his elite playmaking ability in Week 14 against the Tennessee Titans when he registered 354 passing yards and 3 passing touchdowns, including a brilliant 60-yard TD pass to the wide receiver, Jerry Jeudy.

Besides his arms, he proved dangerous with his legs in the same contest, rushing 29 yards on three carries to find the end zone. On the other hand, his first NFL touchdown pass against the Raiders showcased his deep-ball accuracy. In that Week 12 game, Sanders threw a 66-yard TD pass to Dylan Simpson.

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As the coach pointed out, he had already shown those exceptional qualities during his college career. Representing the Colorado Buffaloes, he registered a remarkable 7364 passing yards in just 24 games. With a total of 71.8% of passes completed and 64 passing touchdowns, he was in the ranks of premium collegiate stars.

Todd has strong confidence in Shedeur, and he is expected to play a much bigger role next season. Besides the 24-year-old, there is a fresh update on another Browns quarterback, Deshaun Watson.

Shedeur Sanders faces a veteran challenge as Deshaun Watson eyes a comeback

Despite optimism on Shedeur Sanders from the HC, there is no guaranteed starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns next season, according to the general manager, Andrew Berry. The 2025 Pro Bowler is expected to compete for the position with the experienced Deshaun Watson.

“We don’t have to make that decision anytime soon,” Berry recently said about the potential Browns QB for the next season. “I think any player that we have in that room we would expect to compete to earn a role. Those two (Shedeur and Watson) would be no different.”

Watson has been in the league for almost a decade, beginning his career with the Houston Texans. The former three-time Pro Bowler was roped in by the Browns in 2022, but the majority of his career at Huntington Bank Field has been injury-plagued

He missed out on the entire 2025 season because of an Achilles injury, and he suited up for his current franchise only 19 times. Although he played a few games, he registered more than 1000 passing yards in each of his seasons with the Browns (2022-2024).

If he remains fit throughout the next season, the 30-year-old could pose significant competition for the quarterback position in the next campaign.