Shedeur Sanders followed up the best performance of his young NFL career with the worst outing we've seen from him yet. That's the life of a rookie quarterback, especially one who represents a perpetually building club like the Cleveland Browns.
Sanders' dud in a 31-3 loss to the Chicago Bears wasn't entirely his fault. Describing the Browns' offensive line in this matchup as banged up would be a massive understatement, and their lackluster skill position corps was evident.
How can anyone succeed in this environment? Sanders is virtually set up to fail. That's why Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com has a hunch the Browns will see his development through rather than replacing him this coming offseason.
Browns insider envisions Shedeur Sanders sticking around in Cleveland
The Browns haven't gotten any closer to reaching a verdict on whether Sanders is their signal-caller of the future. Properly evaluating the 2025 fifth-round pick under the current circumstances is a near-impossible task. That's why Cabot has a hunch Cleveland will see his development through rather than investing heavily in replacing him this coming offseason.
"I just have a feeling that [the Browns are] going to analyze the whole thing and decide they want to move forward with [Sanders]," Cabot said during a recent appearance on Cleveland's 92.3 The Fan. "I can't say for sure yet, but I feel like it sort of has that vibe, and it feels like it's almost kind of trending in that direction."
Cabot's comments are particularly noteworthy for a Browns squad in a tightly-contested race to the bottom of the standings. Cleveland could be in a position to bring in a more highly touted prospect should they want to go that route.
The Browns have a 75 percent chance of landing a top-five choice in the 2026 draft, per The Athletic's 2025 NFL Playoff Simulator ($). It's unlikely, but they also have 10 percent odds of securing the No. 1 overall selection.
Nevertheless, Cabot believes Sanders has shown enough of an "it factor" to continue peeling back the layers of his untapped potential. It hasn't been pretty or easy by any stretch of the imagination, though the ability to overcome adversity is encouraging and captivating.
It wouldn't be a doomsday scenario if the Browns decided to roll with Sanders as their Week 1 starter in 2026. He's completed 52.2 percent of his passes for 946 yards, five touchdowns and six interceptions across five games this season (four starts).
The box score numbers aren't great, but they don't tell the full story.