The Cleveland Browns started their 2026 season with an embarrassing 34-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and naturally, the national conversation has shifted back to Cleveland’s quarterback room.
Starting quarterback Deshaun Watson had a poor outing, so the masses are calling for Shedeur Sanders to be named starter. Head coach Todd Monken told reporters Monday that he "anticipates" Watson remaining the starter in Week 2 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
While Watson’s performance definitely supports the Browns giving Sanders a look, it wasn’t the only supporting evidence from Sunday that says Cleveland should put its young quarterback under center. There has been a notion in Cleveland that Sanders is still a work in progress at the quarterback position, specifically with pre-snap responsibilities. That is expected for a second-year quarterback because it’s the norm.
Sunday’s action reminded NFL fans that growing pains are par for the course for young quarterbacks. Other teams are letting their promising young QBs play through those struggles, while Cleveland leaves its own on the bench, behind a bad veteran quarterback.
Young QB struggles throughout the NFL are another sign that Browns should start Shedeur Sanders
This is best exemplified by the Tennessee Titans and Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 Draft. Starting his second season on Sunday, just like Sanders, Ward had a rough outing in Tennessee’s 23-10 loss to the New York Jets.
The Titans’ quarterback completed 19-of-32 passes for 140 yards and one touchdown, was sacked three times, and added 21 yards on the ground. Tennessee was just 4-of-12 on third down, and the team’s lone touchdown didn’t come until there was 2:42 left in the fourth quarter, with the Titans already trailing 23-3.
Ward looked a lot like he did as a rookie: a talented but young quarterback that’s still figuring the NFL out. Tennessee understands the circumstances he’s facing, and the franchise is allowing him the space to grow.
Something similar is unfolding with the New Orleans Saints and Tyler Shough, who was selected in the second round of last year’s draft. The box score of New Orleans’ 31-30 overtime loss to the Detroit Lions is promising, as Shough completed 35-of-56 passes for 410 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. However, that doesn’t tell the full story of the game that was actually a tough growing moment for Shough.
The second-year quarterback had an abysmal start to the game, going 10-of-22 for 85 yards and one interception in the first half. Shough then opened the third quarter by throwing another interception on the first play of the second half. New Orleans’ next series out, the quarterback took back-to-back sacks, and fumbled the ball on the second one, giving it back to the Lions.
Detroit capitalized and they went up 21-0 midway through the third quarter. Shough had looked horrible all game and he was responsible for three turnovers, leading Saints fans to worry about their young quarterback. Those worries were quickly eased, as Shough went 25-of-33 for 325 yards and three touchdowns the rest of the game, giving New Orleans a chance to win.
That encapsulates the young quarterback experience; teams don’t get to experience those highs without trudging through those lows. That’s the case in New Orleans, Tennessee, and anywhere a young quarterback is starting. It also needs to be the case in Cleveland.
At times, it seems like Sanders is held to an unrealistic standard of having to be a finished product, and while he’s far from that, it shouldn’t stop him from seeing the field. The Browns are a young team without championship expectations, and they don’t even have a decent starter that makes sitting Sanders a sensible idea. If there is any team that should let a young quarterback go on the field and grow through ups and downs, it’s the Cleveland Browns.
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