Browns eye Sanders as QB option

Exploring how rookie Shedeur Sanders could reshape Cleveland's quarterback plans.

Scouting Sanders and the Browns QB Dilemma

The Cleveland Browns are still trying to answer the question of who should lead their offense. Rookie Shedeur Sanders is in the mix as they evaluate the long arc from draft pick to starter. Sanders suffered an oblique injury at practice with the Philadelphia Eagles, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, a setback that tests early confidence in a player new to the league. The team has long searched for a true franchise quarterback, and Sanders arrives with a mix of hype and questions around development and fit.

In the 2025 draft cycle, Bleacher Report scout Dame Parson followed Sanders and noted a clear split between the prospect liked by some evaluators and the player who faced Cleveland's Panthers in the first preseason game. Breer of Sports Illustrated pointed out that many teams faced a tough predraft experience with Sanders or never had a clear read on him, which complicated the decision to spend a mid to late round pick.

"In this case, a lot of teams either had a tough predraft experience with Sanders or didn't have an experience with him at all," Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated noted. "Which made it tough to spend a pick on him, because if you were looking for a developmental quarterback who'd be content to slide into the shadows as a backup and work at his craft, this didn't seem like the guy."

Cleveland’s push to land a long-term answer at quarterback mirrors a broader NFL reality: teams want upside but must manage risk and time. Sanders’ injury tests the organization’s patience and depth in a season that will be judged not just by wins, but by how quickly a young QB learns the playbook and reads defenses.

The bigger picture is whether a late-round gamble can pay off when the path to reliability is slow and the league is unforgiving. If Sanders develops, the pick becomes a stroke of patience; if not, it tightens the thread between opportunity and consequence for the front office and coaching staff.

Highlights

The quarterback question in Cleveland remains unsettled and Sanders may be a piece of a longer story.