The Cleveland Browns are in the middle of a tight quarterback battle, but one team legend already seems to know how it’s going to end.
Joe Thomas joined “OverDrive” with Aaron Korolnek and Dave Feschuk this week, and the conversation quickly turned to the Browns’ crowded quarterback room. Korolnek asked Thomas whether Shedeur Sanders or Deshaun Watson could actually take the job and make Cleveland competitive this season.
Thomas, who spent 11 seasons at Cleveland, wasn’t overly optimistic, but he made it clear where he thinks things are headed.
Joe Thomas Sees Shedeur Sanders Getting the “Keys to the Franchise”
“That’s the hope,” Thomas said with a smile. “I’m not sure I’m going to be betting on it.”
Still, he acknowledged plenty of fans in Cleveland are pulling for that outcome in particular. “There’s a lot of guys and a lot of fans in Cleveland that are hoping that, possibly, Shedeur Sanders could be that quarterback of the future.”
Sanders enters his second training camp after an up-and-down rookie season. Thomas credited him for growth, noting he’s shown “tremendous promise” despite the rocky stretches early on. Now, in year two, Thomas sees real progress.
“Shedeur is going to get the keys to the franchise,” the Hall of Famer predicted, adding that Sanders will eventually get “a long stretch” and “an opportunity to prove himself.”
“Shedeur [Sanders] is going to get the keys to the franchise.”@joethomas73 on Sanders becoming the cornerstone of the Browns.#DawgPound pic.twitter.com/61DhVc1avx
— OverDrive (@OverDrive1050) August 20, 2026
There are bigger implications beyond this season. With two first-round picks in next year’s draft, Cleveland has the ammunition to make a significant move for a quarterback if it chooses. Thomas believes Sanders could make that decision a lot easier by proving he belongs in the Browns’ long-term plans.
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Thomas laid out the argument Sanders could make to the front office: “Look at my body of work. You should use those two draft choices on weapons and building a great team around me.”
From a pure roster-building standpoint, Thomas thinks that’s the smartest path forward for Cleveland. Sanders is already under contract as a fifth-round pick, which means he’s cheap. That cost efficiency, Thomas explained, will allow the Browns to pour resources elsewhere.
“It accelerates what you can do as far as becoming competitive,” he said, adding that it gives Cleveland a “competitive advantage” before it has to commit to a “huge quarterback contract” down the road.
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Watson, meanwhile, remains a big piece of the puzzle. His 2025 season ended before it started after he re-ruptured his right Achilles during rehabilitation. Watson initially suffered the injury in October 2024 and required another surgery the following January.
He has three Pro Bowl appearances and once led the NFL in passing yards, throwing for 4,823 yards in 2020.
First-year head coach Todd Monken hasn’t committed to a timeline for naming a starter. He’s suggested the preseason finale against the Patriots could serve as a dress rehearsal, which means this week’s practices and preseason game may be Sanders’ last real shot to make an impression before Cleveland names its guy.
The numbers so far haven’t been kind to Sanders. Per Pro Football Network‘s 2025 QB grading, he finished 37th out of 38 qualifying quarterbacks with a 63.0 grade, throwing for 1,400 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions on 56.6 percent completion. Only Cam Ward graded lower.
Still, Thomas seems convinced the sample size will grow, and when it does, Sanders will get his shot to prove the early numbers don’t tell the whole story.
