Is Shedeur Sanders heading for a breakup with the Cleveland Browns? Rumors about his departure have been floated, especially after some NFL experts speculated that Deshaun Watson has the advantage for the team’s starting quarterback role.
However, an NFL insider did not confirm whether the Browns have discussed trades for Sanders, but the possibility remains.
Jeremy Fowler Addresses Shedeur Sanders Trade Talks
In his Aug. 19 appearance on ESPN Cleveland, NFL insider Jeremy Fowler shared his take that the Browns will assess whether there’s a right trade offer involving Sanders.
“The Browns’ front office and GM Andrew Berry are value-based,” Fowler said. “They’ve shown that. If there’s good value to be had in a trade, they will look into it. ‘Would Shedeur Sanders have trade value?’ would be an obvious question that we would all have. I don’t know, or it’s uncertain at this point, if the Browns would act on that.”
“If there’s good value to be had in a trade, they will look into it. Would Shedeur Sanders have trade value would be an obvious question we would all have,” – @JFowlerESPN on if Shedeur Sanders doesn’t win the Browns QB battle. https://t.co/rd3nNWAFrg pic.twitter.com/NbHXr1WUXg
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 19, 2026
Earlier in the interview, Fowler agreed with the sentiment that the starting QB role was Watson’s to lose.
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However, in the Browns’ preseason game against the Chicago Bears, none of the top two candidates had a debate-settling performance. Watson completed 11/15 passes for 126 yards and had a lost fumble, while Sanders finished with 6/11 completions for 79 yards and an interception.
While the competition isn’t over, former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky said during his appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show” that he wanted to see more urgency from Sanders. After all, the situation this year won’t be as easy as in his rookie year, when he started seven games after Watson and Dillon Gabriel suffered injuries.
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Fowler Believes That Shedeur Sanders Will Remain in Cleveland
Some teams have been linked to potential or hypothetical trades involving Sanders. Even then, Fowler feels that Deion Sanders’ son will remain in Cleveland.
“I do still caution that, let’s say, Deshaun Watson is named the starter, you do at that point have a really good (QB) 2 in Shedeur Sanders, who, for all intents and purposes, will probably play. Or if Deshaun struggles, you’re going right to Shedeur. His best chance to play might still be in Cleveland in Year 2, if you look at the landscape,” Fowler added.
Watson might be the frontrunner for the starting job, but his recent finishes should temper optimism for the Browns faithful. In addition to coming off a ruptured right Achilles injury, he has only played 19 games since the Houston Texans traded him to Cleveland in 2022.
According to PFN’s QB Impact Metric, in 2024, the last season he played, Watson ranked as the worst quarterback in the league, with an impact score of 59.9. If he gets hurt or performs poorly, head coach Todd Monken will likely turn to Sanders.
