The Cleveland Browns are the focus of a lot of discussion heading into the 2026 NFL season. Cleveland has struggled again in recent years, continuing its usual futility as the 2020s near an end. With few expectations for the year ahead, the conversation has centered around the team’s starting quarterback.
Deshaun Watson has returned from injury and will play in Saturday’s preseason game. However, he is not the shoo-in starter this year. Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel are both battling for the Week 1 job in Cleveland.
Sanders, in particular, has drawn a ton of attention since entering the league in the 2025 NFL Draft. The young quarterback’s development has been put under a microscope before the season begins. And there are some who believe the Colorado product may not have a long leash in Cleveland.
Greg Jennings Paints Grim Picture for Shedeur Sanders’ Browns Future
Former Super Bowl champion Greg Jennings appeared on “First Things First” on Thursday. He, along with former NFL offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz, discussed Sanders and his standing with the Browns. Both agreed that the future does not appear to be all that bright.
“I don’t think he’s gotten a fair chance. I don’t think fair is a word we use in the NFL very often, and it’s not really the way the league is constructed. But he’s not gotten the fair chance,” Schwartz said. “I think this is it for him. He’s gotta prove this next couple of weeks he can be the guy or he won’t be starting in Cleveland.”
“It’s hard for me to believe that this is not his last chance,” Jennings added. “If Shedeur Sanders were clear head and shoulders better than Deshaun Watson, he would have the job.”
“If he goes out there and he looks the way he did in that first preseason game or what we’ve seen, where he is hesitant, where he is not decisive, where he is late, where he is not making those reads… Well, you can’t have that,” Jennings continued. “In your position, fighting for a starting job, you can’t not execute what you know you should do. So it has to look clean across the board.”
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Sanders played eight games for the Browns in 2025. He saw playing time due to Watson’s injury issues, the Browns trading Joe Flacco, and Gabriel’s struggles on the field.
This Shedeur’s last chance to win the starting job?@geoffschwartz: “I think this is it for him. He’s gotta prove the next couple of weeks he can be the guy or he won’t be starting in Cleveland.”@GregJennings: “It’s hard for me to believe that this is not his last chance.” pic.twitter.com/IEPZacnCft
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) August 19, 2026
The former Colorado star threw for 1,400 yards and had the second-worst QB impact score in the NFL, according to PFN’s QB Impact Metric.
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The Browns have given Watson a lot of reps with the first team throughout training camp. However, Sanders will receive time to shine on Saturday in the team’s second preseason contest. Whether it’s enough to make a case for the starting job remains to be seen.
Cleveland has not made the playoffs in two seasons, having won just eight games since the end of 2023.
After trading Myles Garrett this offseason, there aren’t a ton of expectations for this Browns team. Cleveland will begin the 2026 campaign on September 13 against the reigning AFC South champion, the Jacksonville Jaguars.
