Shedeur Sanders finally got his turn to start for the Cleveland Browns against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday. He did enough to convince former NFL defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko that the gap in Cleveland’s quarterback competition narrowed, but not enough to change Fehoko’s bigger conclusion.
Fehoko believes Sanders may be better off somewhere else. His assessment came after Sanders delivered his strongest preseason performance of the summer.
Breiden Fehoko Says Shedeur Sanders’ Best Outcome Is a Trade
Fehoko called Saturday Sanders’ best performance in a Browns uniform and said the second-year quarterback had “closed the gap.” Still, he argued the “competition has been over for 2 weeks” and delivered a much more consequential verdict.
“I thought Shedeur played the best since being in a Browns uniform,” Fehoko wrote in an X post. “With that being said, he did close the gap, but unfortunately, the competition has been over for 2 weeks. Best case scenario for SS2 is to be traded.”
I thought Shedeur played the best since being in a Browns uniform. With that being said he did close the gap but unfortunately the competition has been over for 2 weeks. Best case scenario for SS2 is to be traded cause a year from now none of these QBs will be on the roster or…
— Breiden Fehoko (@BreidenFehoko) August 22, 2026
Fehoko’s point goes beyond who should start Week 1. He also predicted that Cleveland could have a completely different quarterback room a year from now, making a trade potentially more useful for Sanders than another season spent fighting for snaps.
That remains Fehoko’s opinion, not an indication that the Browns are shopping Sanders. Head coach Todd Monken said after Cleveland’s first preseason game that the competition remained open, and the Browns continued rotating Sanders and Deshaun Watson with the first team during the following week.
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Shedeur Sanders Gives Browns More To Evaluate
Sanders made his case against Buffalo with the cleanest statistical performance of Cleveland’s quarterback group. He completed 9 of 11 passes for 74 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the 31-7 loss. His touchdown came on an 8-yard throw to Luke Floriea during Cleveland’s only scoring drive.
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Watson struggled after entering later, completing 5 of 12 passes for 36 yards with an interception. That did little to make the quarterback picture feel settled, even if Fehoko believes the decision has effectively already been made.
Sanders is also trying to overcome an uneven rookie season. He finished 2025 with a 63.0 QB Impact score, ranking 37th among 38 qualifying quarterbacks. He threw for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while completing 56.6% of his passes.
Those numbers explain why Cleveland entered the summer looking for more consistent quarterback play rather than simply handing Sanders the job. They also make Saturday’s efficient outing meaningful, even in a preseason setting.
Fehoko saw improvement, but he does not believe it will be enough to change Cleveland’s immediate plans. If that read is correct, the more interesting question may no longer be whether Sanders can win the Browns’ starting job, but whether another team eventually gives him a cleaner path to one.
