The Cleveland Browns are faced with a simple reality: they have too many quarterbacks on their roster.
A QB room of Deshaun Watson, Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders is not sustainable. Sanders, despite having a ton of hype leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, is on the chopping block just as much as anyone on Cleveland’s roster.
Depending on where the Browns’ pick falls in next year’s draft, they could pivot to a generational quarterback prospect while abandoning Sanders, and possibly Gabriel, in the process.
Browns Predicted To Abandon Shedeur Sanders for Arch Manning
Sanders fell all the way to the fifth round, and it likely didn’t stem from a lack of talent. Instead, concerns were likely raised throughout the draft process about his mentality and character.
Sanders would need to battle his way up the depth chart in 2025 enough to see the field for the Browns to not view him as expendable as soon as next offseason. With how crowded the position is in Cleveland, it’s possible Sanders and the Browns cut ties before he ever steps foot on an NFL field.
PFSN sees this play out in a 2026 three-round NFL mock draft where the Browns select a Texas Longhorns QB with the No. 1 pick.
PFSN’s Ian Cummings broke down the logic behind the choice, writing, “It’s important not to anoint [Arch] Manning too early; he still has work to do and things to prove. But on tape, it’s easy to see the path to prominence, and the road is clear for him to steamroll ahead. Neither Shedeur Sanders nor Dillon Gabriel should stop Cleveland from taking a true franchise QB talent in 2026 if they’re in a position to do so.”
As Cummings pointed out, Manning has by no means proved himself worthy of the top selection. All of the physical and mental tools needed to evolve into that player are there, however.
Not only is the Longhorns QB the nephew of NFL greats Eli and Peyton Manning, but Cummings also noted he is a “superlative physical talent with high-end athleticism and arm talent, and in his limited starting action in 2024, he showed legitimate promise.”
While it was surprising to see Sanders fall as far as he did, most expect Manning to be in another tier coming out of college. If cutting ties with a Round 5 QB after his rookie season is the price to pay for landing a generational prospect that seemingly checks every box, it’s well worth the cost.