Shedeur Sanders waited for months before the then-Cleveland Browns head coach, Kevin Stefanski, named him a starter in Week 12. Once he stood in front of the mic, he smirked and told everyone, “I’m who they’re looking for.” Call it confidence or anything, he did come out victorious in his NFL debut. But what stood out was his performance.

He threw for as long as 66 yards in that win, used his legs often to move the chains, and showed Berea has the potential to be their starter. Fast forward to now, and the offseason has struck him again. Not only does he need to compete with the QB room, but he also needs to compete with veteran quarterbacks in the league to prove himself. Because until then, this is what his new head coach, Todd Monken, has to say about him:

“I said this morning that 15 or 20 years ago, they would have said that Shedeur Sanders was athletic,” Monken said while talking to ESPN’s Kevin Clark. “They would have said he could escape.

“Well, the game’s changed so much to now he’s not a mobile quarterback. No, he’s mobile. He’s not as mobile as what we’ve come to where Lamar Jackson or the quickness that these players have. Their escape ability is completely changed from what it was.”

For four of his eight years in the league, Jackson has well-established himself as a dual-threat QB by leading the league in rushing yards gained. Todd Monken has long shown a clear preference for mobile quarterbacks like him. He spent three seasons working with Lamar Jackson on the Baltimore Ravens.

In comparison, Sanders, while known for his playmaking in Colorado, only had four rushing touchdowns as a senior. But there’s always a learning curve. And Sanders already proved that he is ready to take on the challenge.

“Man, a win is crazy,” Sanders said in an on-field postgame interview in November 2025. “It’s amazing, off of one week of practice. Just one week of practice. Imagine what a full offseason would look like. It (would) get dangerous.”

As a Browns rookie, he totalled 8 rushing yards per attempt and one rushing touchdown. None of that suggests Sanders lacks athleticism. It just places him in a different tier compared to players like Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, or even Jaxson Dart when it comes to quickness and improvisation. He can move, extend plays, and pick up yards in space, but he needs a bit more buildup to get there.

So while the ability to escape exists, it doesn’t quite match the level seen in others from his draft class or among established dual-threat quarterbacks. But Monken has also acknowledged that a young quarterback not coming up in a pro-style system isn’t on the player. If anything, he made it clear that the responsibility shifts to the coaching staff to guide that development properly.

“Now, it’s going to be our fault if we can’t develop them,” Monken added. “Then it’s our fault. Our job is to develop all the players that show up in the building and try to get the best out of all of them, create the best version of them.”

Where he especially takes the cake, though, is his ability to think quickly even under pressure. And we all know what the Browns’ offensive line was like. But there may be a reason why he was never truly considered a dual-threat.

Sanders’ roots may tell why he was never a dual-threat QB

Before entering the NFL, Sanders had already established himself as a playmaker. During the 2024 season at Colorado, he threw for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns while posting an NCAA-leading 74% completion rate, pointing to both efficiency and control. At the same time, however, his rushing production tells the other side of the story.

With just four rushing touchdowns that season, it explains why he isn’t typically labeled a dual-threat quarterback. Earlier in his career at Jackson State, he operated in an RPO-heavy, quick-game offense where reads were simplified, often limited to one or two options.

That structure shifted once he transferred to Colorado and worked under Pat Shurmur. While Shurmur introduced more NFL-style elements, it still wasn’t a full pro-style system. The offense leaned heavily on screens and quick passes, often using alignment and pre-snap motion to expose defensive coverages. Plays were designed with answers on both sides of the field, leaving Sanders to diagnose and choose correctly.

On paper, that highlighted his decision-making and passing ability. But the lack of on-the-ground impact remained noticeable. That carried into his rookie year with Cleveland, where he finished the 2025 season with 1,400 passing yards, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, along with 169 rushing yards and a single rushing score.

Now, under Monken in his second season, he’ll be competing for the starting role alongside Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel. And even if he’s expected to push for QB1, the path isn’t straightforward, especially when the head coach has been consistent about valuing mobility at the position, something Sanders only partially brings to the table.

Todd Monken addresses the benefits of mobile quarterbacks

Monken will oversee the quarterback competition in his first year as head coach of the Browns. Cleveland currently has Deshaun Watson, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders on the roster. And it’s still possible the Browns look to add another signal-caller in the 2026 NFL Draft. Earlier this month, Monken also outlined what he values at the position.

“Most coaches would have an affinity for quarterbacks that are mobile, but they also have an affinity for quarterbacks that can complete passes and are really good on third down and in two minute,” he said.

“And so that’s a big part of it as well. So certainly with the league and the way it’s gone, and the multiple looks you get defensively and the elite rushers that you get, it’s certainly beneficial to have a quarterback that can escape, especially considering the No. 1 pass play you’re going to have in the NFL is scramble drill.

“So it certainly benefits you to have a mobile quarterback, but ultimately that’s just a piece of it. It’d a big piece of it, but it’s also, you’re not seeing nearly as many statues at quarterback.”

As things stand, Watson is still viewed as the most mobile option in Cleveland, followed by Gabriel and then Sanders. Before his swing-and-miss tenure with the Browns, Watson put up 551, 413, and 444 rushing yards in his final three seasons with the Houston Texans.

Gabriel, meanwhile, spent six seasons at the college level and accumulated over 1,200 rushing yards along with 33 rushing touchdowns. Shedeur Sanders, on the other hand, sits at the bottom of that group in terms of mobility. He finished his college career with limited rushing production and 17 touchdowns on the ground.

That said, mobility alone won’t decide who wins the starting job. But it could still play a role in Monken’s evaluation as he looks to develop the young quarterbacks. How that ultimately shapes the depth chart is something that will become clearer in the months ahead.