Todd Monken made it clear that the Cleveland Browns would figure out their QB1 over the summer. Between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders, the new head coach assured the fan base that they would have a definitive answer.
Now, as we near the first game of the preseason schedule, a decision seems to be imminent. After a shocking change during training camp, one analyst believes the choice may have already been made.
Chances for Shedeur Sanders Aren’t Looking Too Bright
Despite the hype that preceded his arrival in the NFL, a fifth-round selection as the 144th overall pick certainly tempered expectations about Sanders. Then, sitting behind Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel on the depth chart didn’t help matters either.
But he ultimately took over the starting quarterback role and remained in the spot for the final seven games of the year. Unfortunately, the returns were far from mind-blowing, as he ranked second-to-last on PFN’s QB Impact Metric with an impact score of 63.0.
However, without a realistic second option, the road seemed clear for Sanders to remain the starter for the 2026 season, at least. But with Monken taking over the head coaching job, Watson, who’d had a disastrous four years with the Browns, got another shot.
After initially deciding to split first-team reps between the two during training camp, Monken made a surprising change on the 10th day. Despite Sanders being scheduled for the role, the first-team snaps went to the three-time Pro Bowler.
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While the team cited it as personnel groupings that the new head coach wanted to figure out with Watson, Aaron Goldhammer for ESPN Cleveland doesn’t believe the situation is as simple as they are making it out to be.
“I think what’s happening here is that Monken does not trust Shedeur Sanders to consistently get the team in and out of the huddle on a regular basis,” he said. “And that’s why he’s playing a guy who’s a pariah in the town in which he is employed ahead of Shedeur.”
“I think we’re approaching the end of the Shedeur Sanders era in Cleveland,” – @HammerNation19 is reading the tea leaves of what’s going on with the Browns.
Do you agree? https://t.co/06Rw1NKd3Y pic.twitter.com/fZdAMs5VbM — ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 10, 2026
But for Goldhammer, the blame falls on the second-generation star. He said, “That is an indictment of Shedeur Sanders. I don’t know how else to look at it. I have a sense of where I think this is going.”
That road, he believes, ends with Sanders no longer being on the Browns. Goldhammer added, “I’m not reporting anything. How many times does Andrew Berry trade a quarterback as we go through training camp? It happens every flipping year. Guys, I think we’re approaching the end of the Shedeur Sanders era in Cleveland. I really do.”
So far, neither Monken nor Berry has made any indication of this claim. But if the reading on the tea leaves moves in this direction, then it could be a legitimate pathway for the Browns, as they wait to draft a potential franchise superstar in the 2027 NFL Draft.
