If Sanders wins the starting job for the Browns, he should only be drafted in Superflex or two-QB leagues. Sanders made seven starts in 2025 and only once scored more than 12.6 points in six-point per passing TD leagues. He was sacked 21 times in those seven games and registered a 72.9 passer rating (just barely better than J.J. McCarthy's passer rating). Want some reasons to be optimistic? The Browns have a new head coach and used three picks in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft on an offensive tackle and two wide receivers. Plus, Sanders averaged nearly 22 rushing yards per game in his seven starts (though that was with an unsustainable 8.5 yards per carry). While it's too early to give up on Sanders, he does not need to be rostered in one-QB leagues until he proves himself.
Browns' Shedeur Sanders: Will play first half in second preseason game
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Sanders and Deshaun Watson will split first-team reps during joint practices ahead of the Browns' second preseason game against the Bills on Saturday, Aug. 22, and Sanders is set to start and play throughout the first half in that contest, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.
Watson drew the start in Saturday's preseason opener against the Bears and outperformed Sanders, the latter of whom completed 6 of 11 pass attempts for 79 yards and an interception while adding two carries for three yards in a 34-10 loss. Sanders' interception came early in the fourth quarter, when he overthrew his intended receiver. Sanders will start against Buffalo next week, and the plan is to have him play in the first half while Watson opens the third quarter and Dillon Gabriel gets work in the final period.
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Browns' Shedeur Sanders: Set to start second preseason game
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Deshaun Watson will get the start in Saturday's preseason opener against the Bears, while Sanders will draw the start in the team's Aug. 22 contest against the Bills.
Per coach Todd Monken, each quarterback will likely play a half during the team's first preseason game, as he wants to have both Watson and Sanders experience a two-minute situation Saturday. For now, Watson and Sanders -- who are listed as co-starters on the team's unofficial depth chart -- continue to share first-team practice reps, with Monken having yet to outline a timetable for selecting his Week 1 starter.
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Browns' Shedeur Sanders: Listed as co-starter on unofficial depth chart
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Deshaun Watson and Sanders are listed as co-starters on the Brown' unofficial depth chart, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Coach Todd Monken has yet to reveal his QB plans for Saturday's preseason opener against the Bears, but it's expected that whichever of the two signal callers starts that contest will give way the other one in Cleveland's second exhibition tilt. For the time being, Watson and Sanders continue to share first-team practice reps, with no timeline offered for a decision on the team's Week 1 starter.
Coach Todd Monken noted Monday that he hasn't decided whether Sanders or Deshaun Watson will start Saturday's preseason opener against the Bears, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Monken did indicate that whichever of the two doesn't start against Chicago will get the nod against the Bills in Cleveland's second preseason tilt. After Watson took starters reps during Saturday's practice, Sanders is slated to work with the first-team offense Monday. On the topic of the ongoing job battle between the two signal-callers, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com relays that Monken said Monday, "As long as we're still sharing reps, it's a competition."
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Browns' Shedeur Sanders: QB rotation in practice ongoing
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Coach Todd Monken confirmed Wednesday that Sanders and Deshaun Watson will continue to alternate first-team signal-caller reps every practice until he names a starter, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.
Meanwhile, Sanders reportedly turned in a strong effort during Tuesday's session, per Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram, while Petrak indicates that on Wednesday, Watson had his best day of training camp to date. In any case, this is a job battle in which a clear-cut favorite has yet to emerge, and in terms of a timetable for his decision on naming the Browns' Week 1 starter, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal notes that at this stage Monken has neither determined the order in which starts will be assigned during the preseason, nor has he set a deadline for tabbing his starter ahead of the regular-season opener.
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Browns' Shedeur Sanders: First padded practice awaits
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Sanders continues to rotate first-team reps with Deshaun Watson, and the former is lined up to work with the starters in Cleveland's first padded practice Monday, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.
Sanders and Watson have been alternating first-team reps in the early days of camp. Watson got the first-team spot for Friday's training camp practice, so Sanders is set to take his next turn Monday, when the team puts on pads for the first time. Cleveland's quarterback competition is unlikely to be decided until after Sanders and Watson play in the preseason.
Browns coach Todd Monken said Wednesday that Sanders and Deshaun Watson will continue splitting first-team reps at the start of training camp, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.
The plan from the offseason program carries over into training camp, with Watson and Sanders battling for the starting job while Dillon Gabriel and Taylen Green are resigned to competing for depth roles. Monken said he doesn't have a timeline to name his Week 1 starter, adding that he plans to use his first-stringers during preseason games.
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Browns' Shedeur Sanders: QB competition ongoing
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Sanders' quarterback competition with Deshaun Watson is expected to last throughout training camp and the preseason, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.
Head coach Todd Monken has maintained that a starter will be named prior to Week 1, but Sanders and Watson both have ample time to pull ahead in Cleveland's QB competition during training camp and the preseason. The 24-year-old Sanders posted a 3-4 record as a rookie after being drafted in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, while the 30-year-old Watson went 1-6 as the Browns' starter in 2024 prior suffering a pair of Achilles' injuries, from which Watson has since recovered.
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Browns' Shedeur Sanders: Continues to share first-team reps
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Sanders and Deshaun Watson are slated to continue splitting first-team QB reps during the Browns' mandatory minicamp, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Sanders took first-team reps Tuesday, while Watson will get them Wednesday. The two are then in line to split those reps Thursday. Coach Todd Monken had hoped to have established a pecking order by now, but he acknowledged Tuesday that he's unlikely to name a starter by the end of the minicamp. Watson appeared to have the advantage early this offseason, but Sanders seems to have closed the gap. Per Monken, "they both played well enough to earn out the right to compete to start," and as a result this is a job battle that figures to carry over into training camp.
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Browns' Shedeur Sanders: Splitting first-team reps with Watson
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Shedeur and Deshaun Watson split first-team reps for most of Wednesday's practice, but Watson then took all the reps at the end in a simulated hurry-up drill, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.
Reports from Cleveland beat writers are slightly conflicting, but there seems to be agreement that Watson went first through the rotation in early practice periods before Sanders took the first snap in full-team drills. Watson then handled the special period at the end of practice. It sounds like Dillon Gabriel and Taylen Green didn't get much first-team work, if any, but the rotation could look different as soon as the next practice. Head coach Todd Monken has mentioned his preference for naming a starting QB before the start of training camp, though he eased off his prior statements Wednesday, telling reporters, "We'll have it set for [Week 1 at Jacksonville]," per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com.
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Browns' Shedeur Sanders: First up for spring reps
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Sanders started Cleveland's first 11-on-11 team period at voluntary minicamp Tuesday, though he rotated reps with fellow QBs Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel, Kelsey Russo of the Browns' official site reports.
Sanders is firmly in the mix in Cleveland's quarterback competition, though there isn't necessarily much information to glean from the chronology of team drills at this stage in the offseason. That said, new head coach Todd Monken did note that "[t]he plan was to have [Sanders] have a few more reps, but to let Deshaun [Watson] and [Sanders] both have reps with the ones." Monken's comments essentially confirm assumptions that Sanders is entering spring workouts as the favorite for No. 1 QB reps over Watson, while Gabriel ranks closer to No. 3 on the depth chart, though things stand to be fluid given the ongoing nature of this positional competition. Across eight regular-season appearances (seven starts) as a rookie, Sanders completed 57 percent of his pass attempts for 1,400 yards, seven TDs and 10 INTs.
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Browns' Shedeur Sanders: Set to compete for starting job
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Coach Todd Monken noted Tuesday that QB reps during the Browns' offseason workout program competition won't necessarily be evenly divided between Sanders, Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN reports.
On that subject, Monken said, "I wouldn't say they're going to be evenly dispersed, but we'll definitely disperse them to give ourselves a chance to at least evaluate who we have on the roster, whoever that might be as we go through the offseason." When asked how he'll decide who takes the first starting reps once the team's on-field work commences, Monken indicated that it would be based on "what we've seen in the past and where the year ended last year." With that in mind, Zac Jackson of The Athletic suggests that Sanders seems most likely to work as the No. 1 QB in early spring workouts, but at this stage nothing is set in stone, with Watson -- who missed last season due to an Achilles' injury -- now healthy, per Oyefusi, and thus expected to compete with Sanders and Gabriel for the starting job.
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Browns' Shedeur Sanders: Part of competition
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Sanders will be among the candidates to start at quarterback for the Browns in 2026, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.
General manager Andrew Berry indicated that Sanders and Deshaun Watson (ankle) will both be in the mix. The GM also indicated that more names could be added to the battle, suggesting Cleveland is open to either signing a free agent or using draft capital on the position. New head coach Todd Monken did not commit to starting Sanders when speaking at his introductory news conference.
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Browns' Shedeur Sanders: One TD pass in win
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Sanders completed 17 of 23 passes for 186 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in Sunday's 13-6 win over the Steelers. He added four rushes for 20 yards.
Sanders was sharp early, completing five of seven passes for 101 yards and a touchdown across Cleveland's first two possessions. He couldn't get much going from there and threw a pair of costly picks on ill-advised throws, but the Steelers were unable to take advantage. Overall, it wasn't a particularly encouraging performance, but Sanders did show the ability to play on time during the Browns' scripted plays and likely endured some additional struggles due to the early departure of Harold Fannin (groin).
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Browns' Shedeur Sanders: First breakout game of career
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Sanders completed 23 of 42 passes for 364 yards with three touchdowns and one interception while adding three rushes for 29 yards and another score in the Browns' 31-29 loss to the Titans on Sunday.
Sanders' final line emphasizes the breakout quality of the rookie's performance, which was fueled by a 60-yard touchdown pass to Jerry Jeudy, another pair of passing scores to David Njoku (one yard) and Harold Fannin (seven yards), and a seven-yard rush TD, with the latter two plays occurring in the fourth quarter. Head coach Kevin Stefanski opted to take the ball out of Sanders' hands during an attempt at a game-tying two-point conversion after the touchdown pass to Fannin, but it was otherwise another significant step in the right direction for the fifth-round pick. Sanders showed increasing command of the offense by spreading the ball around to eight different targets, and he'll next make a trip to Soldier Field to face off with the Bears next Sunday.
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Browns' Shedeur Sanders: Tosses TD in Week 13 loss
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Sanders completed 16 of 25 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown and added six rushing yards on his only carry in Sunday's 26-8 loss to the 49ers.
Both teams' passing attacks struggled to deal with the high winds in Cleveland, and Sanders also briefly left the game in the fourth quarter to get checked out for an ankle injury, but the rookie played reasonably well while he was on the field. The Browns briefly held an 8-7 lead early in the second quarter when Sanders found Harold Fannin for a 34-yard touchdown that was then followed up by a Quinshon Judkins two-point conversion, but the Niners dominated the rest of the way. Per Zac Jackson of The Athletic, head coach Kevin Stefanski has already named Sanders his starting quarterback for a Week 14 tilt against the Titans in a game that could have big implications for the top of the 2026 NFL Draft.
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Browns' Shedeur Sanders: Officially named Week 13 starter
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Coach Kevin Stefanski named Sanders as the Browns' starting quarterback for next Sunday's game against the 49ers.
Even though Dillon Gabriel cleared concussion protocol Monday, Sanders will get the nod against San Francisco after he helped guide the Browns to a 24-10 win over the Raiders on Sunday. Sanders completed 11 of 20 passes (55 percent) for 209 yards, one touchdown and one interception against Las Vegas, showing some deep-ball touch on a 52-yard shot to Isaiah Bond down to the two-yard line in the process. Sanders' matchup against the Niners will be favorable on paper, as San Francisco is dealing with a boat load of injuries on the defensive side of the ball, but it's fair to question if Sanders has enough of a floor-ceiling combo to warrant consideration for fantasy lineups.
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Browns' Shedeur Sanders: Likely to be named Week 13 starter
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Sanders will be named the Browns' starting quarterback for Week 13 against the 49ers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Even with Dillon Gabriel clearing the concussion protocol, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer, coach Kevin Stefanski is expected to name Sanders as the Browns' starter versus San Francisco. Sanders made his first career start in Sunday's 24-10 win over the Raiders, completing just 11 of 20 passes (55 percent) for 209 yards, one touchdown and one interception. His 52-yard deep shot to Isaiah Bond was easily Sanders' most impressive throw of the day, as Dylan Sampson did all the work after the catch on a 66-yard touchdown that came on a dump-off at the line of scrimmage. Sanders will have a chance to build on his performance against a depleted and injury-riddled 49ers defense next Sunday. Sanders carries extremely minimal fantasy value.
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Browns' Shedeur Sanders: Victorious in first NFL start
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Sanders completed 11 of 20 passes for 209 yards, one touchdown and one interception in Sunday's 24-10 win over the Raiders. He also rushed once for minus-1 yard.
Sanders became the first Browns quarterback to win his first career start since 1995. His first NFL touchdown pass came on a 66-yard screen pass to fellow rookie Day 3 draft pick Dylan Sampson in the fourth quarter. Sanders flashed some impressive playmaking ability early, escaping the pocket before uncorking a deep ball on the run for a 52-yard pass to Isaiah Bond, which set up Quinshon Judkins' second touchdown run of the first quarter on the next play. After the game, head coach Kevin Stefanski wouldn't commit to Sanders starting in Week 13 against the 49ers, per Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Dillon Gabriel remains in concussion protocol but is making progress and participated in Friday's practice.
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Browns' Shedeur Sanders: Week 12 Waiver Priority List
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Sanders could start for the Browns in Week 12 at Las Vegas if Dillon Gabriel (concussion) is out, and Sanders could be an option in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues. He is worth adding for 1 percent of your remaining FAB. Sanders came on for Gabriel in Week 11 against Baltimore and was 4-of-16 passing for 47 yards, no touchdowns and one interception, and he added 16 rushing yards. Sanders has limited upside given the lack of weapons in Cleveland, but he could still be needed in deeper leagues, so keep an eye on Gabriel's status throughout the week.
