It has been four months since the NFL offseason began. Shedeur Sanders, entering his second year in the league, has become a part of the QB1 battle against Deshaun Watson at the Cleveland Browns. When it comes to experience, Watson has the edge, yet Sanders has reportedly improved in the last couple of weeks to intensify the battle. But according to former NFL linebacker LaVar Arrington, the Browns shouldn’t bother much about analyzing the QB1 battle closely and trade Shedeur Sanders instead.

“There are two factors here that I say would justify the idea of entertaining trading Shedeur Sanders,” said Arrington in an interview with Fox Sports Radio. “One, you have an opportunity for Deshaun Watson to actually give you one good year, and why not make it your last one? Second reason though. Have we forgotten the fact that there was a guy that had a more successful college career and was drafted higher, in the third round, in the same draft that Shedeur Sanders was taken in? How is Dillon Gabriel’s name not even mentioned in the idea of being a legitimate backup to Deshaun Watson?

“So let’s get rid of the what could perceivably be a distraction, a roadblock, a point of resistance, a fan turn-off if we wait, and we actually have Shedeur Sanders on our roster. We have Dillon Gabriel on our roster, and we go and use a top draft pick to get a quarterback and bring him in. It just might. It just might be sensible for somebody that’s in those offices to say it might be best to cut bait with him before we get into this season and give to Deshaun Watson this season, and we have a third-round draft pick to be a backup.”

LaVar Arrington’s opinion is quite simple. He feels Deshaun Watson would do a much better job than Shedeur Sanders as QB1 in the 2026 season. However, his assessment isn’t without reason. Watson will be entering his 10th NFL season and has already thrown for 17,904 yards and 123 touchdowns in 73 regular-season games.

His breakout 2020 season with a struggling Texans team stands as a prime example of Watson’s resilience. Watson alone racked up 4,823 passing yards and 33 touchdowns in 16 games played that season. While his career following the 2020 season has suffered regression due to injuries, people like Arrington still rate the 30-year-old QB highly over Shedeur Sanders for his experience.

Not just that, with Deshaun Watson as the QB1, Arrington prefers Dillon Gabriel as the primary backup. Sanders and Gabriel were selected in the fifth and third rounds of last year’s NFL draft. On paper, considering their collegiate career, Gabriel has an NFL passer rating of 80.8, while Sanders has an NFL passer rating of 68.1. Yet, when it comes to the Browns, Gabriel is often regarded as a third-string QB, which Arrington disagrees with.

So, considering the hype Shedeur Sanders boasts now, the former NFL linebacker urges the Browns to get the maximum value from trading away fifth-round pick Sanders while letting Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel handle the team’s offense.