Cleveland quarterback Shedeur Sanders remains one of the most polarizing prospects in the league after a mixed debut season under center for the Browns. After starting his rookie season buried in the quarterback depth chart, Sanders finished the season as the Browns’ QB1 and is set to compete for the job ahead of his second season in the league.
Josh Aul Blasts Fans Over Shedeur Sanders Trade Speculation
The return of veteran quarterback Deshaun Watson from a ruptured Achilles injury that kept him on the sidelines for the entire 2025 season has made the Browns’ quarterback battle one of the most intriguing in the league.
During Wednesday’s segment of “The Dawgs” podcast, analyst Josh Aul blasted fans for speculating that the Browns could trade Sanders this summer, just one year after he was drafted No. 144 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
“Could the Browns trade Shedeur Sanders this summer? Back in January, what did the Browns do? They held a massive coaching search,” Aul said. “And what was the big reveal that came out from that stretch? They were making the head coaching candidates write essays and lost in all of that was one tiny detail.
“The questionnaire consisted of six questions and one of them was tailored towards a specific player, Shedeur Sanders. Each head coaching candidate was asked on the questionnaire how they would continue the development of Shedeur Sanders. There is a bigger plan in 2026 for Shedeur Sanders.”
The Browns’ QB1 battle seems to be between Watson and Sanders, as Dillon Gabriel found himself in an awkward position last week when new defensive end Jared Verse showed up for training with his No. 8 jersey, putting his future with the franchise in doubt.
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While speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Browns head coach Todd Monken revealed that he was undecided over which player would be the team’s starting quarterback during the 2026 season.
“I like both of them,” Monken said. “I don’t know what to say. It’s really as simple as that… I just can’t do it. I’m not there yet and that’s the reality of it. That’s the hard thing. As much as I’d love to make that decision, either by someone separating themselves upward or downward, either way, which has not occurred.”
After taking over the Browns’ QB1 job last season after Gabriel’s injury, Sanders earned a PFSN QB Impact score of 56.7 after tallying 1,400 passing yards on 56.6% completion, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, while adding 169 rushing yards and 1 score.
