After starting the final seven games of the 2025 NFL season for the Cleveland Browns, Shedeur Sanders once again landed in a backup role going into this year. A battle against Deshaun Watson for the QB1 role did not work out in his favor.
But veteran analyst Skip Bayless believes things could have been much worse for the second-year quarterback.
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Last season, Sanders went from a projected first-round pick to the 144th pick in the draft. Still, despite starting behind Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel on the depth chart, he was able to get consistent playing time from Week 11 onwards.
He was far from perfect in his time on the field, throwing for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns while giving up 10 interceptions. Finishing second-to-last on PFN’s Quarterback Impact Metrics, the Browns still saw some potential in him.
This year, though, after he was named QB2, the team chose to keep four quarterbacks on the roster (with Dillon Gabriel on the IR). Bayless believes that the choice was made in spite of what the team and head coach Todd Monken see in Sanders.
“I’ll bet you in his mind Todd Monken ranks his QBs this way: 1) Deshaun Watson, 2) Dillon Gabriel, 3) Taylen Green, 4) Shedeur Sanders,” Bayless wrote on X.
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Going a step further, he explained why the Browns were still choosing to keep Sanders on the roster: “The only reason the Browns kept Shedeur is because he’s the most popular backup QB ever and they feared the backlash of getting rid of him.”
I’ll bet you in his mind Todd Monken ranks his QBs this way: 1) Deshaun Watson 2) Dillon Gabriel 3) Taylen Green 4) Shedeur Sanders. The only reason the Browns kept Shedeur is because he’s the most popular backup QB ever and they feared the backlash of getting rid of him.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) August 31, 2026
It’s unclear what the Browns’ rationale was for keeping Sanders on the roster for the 2026 season.
But the preseason has given them a ton of tape to study for each of their quarterback options. Sanders, Gabriel, and Green all got playing time over their three preseason games, but to varying degrees of success.
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Gabriel, who ranked a spot ahead of Sanders on PFN’s QB Impact Score, got playing time in all three preseason games. After completing five of eight passes for 23 yards and an interception in the first preseason game, he got just one passing attempt in the second preseason game.
All that changed in the final preseason game, when he completed 12 of 15 passing attempts for 186 yards and three touchdowns. In the same game, though, their rookie also got his first taste of preseason action.
Green completed five of seven passes for 27 yards, but he truly impressed fans with his ability on the ground, recording 66 rushing yards on eight carries, including a thrilling 30-yard gain.
Sanders, playing in the first two preseason games, tallied 153 passing yards and a touchdown against two interceptions while completing 15 of 22 passes.
With all four quarterbacks getting reps in the preseason, Monken had ample time and evidence to make his choice. Rather shockingly, he decided to keep all four on the roster, at least for the time being.
But only time will tell what informed those decisions, and if popularity had any say in keeping Sanders on the roster, as Bayless is suggesting.
