Shedeur Sanders finally got his chance to start during the second week of preseason. Embroiled in a battle for the starting quarterback role against Deshaun Watson, he was behind him on the depth chart last week.
Against the Buffalo Bills, he got his moment, but it was a mixed bag overall. With a decision imminent from the Cleveland Browns, the pressure was firmly on the second-year quarterback to make a name for himself.
Shedeur Sanders Remains a Work in Progress
Last season, Sanders got some experience under his belt. But during his time as the Browns’ quarterback, he tallied just 1,400 passing yards and seven touchdowns, while giving up 10 interceptions.
As a result, he finished second-to-last on PFN’s QB Impact Metrics, and head coach Todd Monken wasn’t comfortable rolling with him as the starter without a proper competition against Watson.
Last week, he was thoroughly outplayed by the three-time Pro Bowler. But this time around, there were a lot more positives from his performance. Completing nine of 11 passes, he recorded 74 yards and a touchdown, but also gave up a critical interception.
As a result, fantasy analyst Jason Katz of PFN believed the QB competition was over for the Browns, at least for the time being, as he believed that Sanders had failed to wow him beyond a certain extent.
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“Solid, if unspectacular showing from Shedeur Sanders today,” Katz wrote. “I fully expect Deshaun Watson to start Week 1, but Shedeur will still make several starts this season. Ultimately, though, the Browns’ 2027 starting QB is not currently on the roster.”
Solid, if unspectacular showing from Shedeur Sanders today. I fully expect Deshaun Watson to start Week 1, but Shedeur will still make several starts this season. Ultimately, though, the Browns 2027 starting QB is not currently on the roster.
— Katz (@jasonkatz13) August 22, 2026
Kyle Soppe, though, had a different outlook from a fantasy perspective. He argued, “I don’t think this team is winning much regardless of QB in 2026. For #FantasyFootball, I want Sanders if I’m scooping Fannin. With Sanders: 2.1 yards/route, 3.0 FP/catch. Without Sanders: 1.6 yards/route, 2.2 FP/catch.”
I don’t think this team is winning much regardless of QB in 2026.
For #FantasyFootball, I want Sanders if I’m scooping Fannin
–> With Sanders: 2.1 yards/route, 3.0 FP/catch
–> Without Sanders: 1.6 yards/route, 2.2 FP/catch https://t.co/JG0QmXckFx— Kyle Soppe (@KyleSoppePFN) August 22, 2026
For Brandon Austin, though, the answer for the QB1 wasn’t as cut and dry as others believed. He claimed, “The pick wasn’t great, but Shedeur’s confidence hasn’t wavered after struggling in Week 1. These flashes should keep him in the running for the QB1 spot.”
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Others, too, weren’t ignoring the upside that he potentially presented. Jacob Infante was left impressed as he wrote, “His INT was thrown a little behind his target, but Shedeur Sanders looked a lot better today than he did against the Bears. Poise going through his progressions was better, and his accuracy looked better than last week.”
Ultimately, Ian Cummings put together a pros and cons list that Monken will have to sift through before arriving at a decision. So far, the growing sentiment has been that Watson could be getting his job under center once again.
In his pros, Cummings wrote, “Good reads on the TD & 4th down. Kept offense on schedule on screens & rollouts. Got Bills to bite w/ hard count.” In the cons section, Cummings mentioned that Sanders’ “Trigger still late, little anticipation. INT was behind TE.”
Shedeur Sanders pros & cons today:
+ Good reads on the TD & 4th down
+ Kept offense on schedule on screens & rollouts
+ Got Bills to bite w/ hard count
– Trigger still late, little anticipation
– INT was behind TETough decision coming for Todd Monken pic.twitter.com/e11dtBsrCw
— Ian Cummings (@IC_Draft) August 22, 2026
It remains to be seen if Sanders showed enough to convince his new head coach to move in a different direction.
