When the Cleveland Browns named Deshaun Watson as their Week 1 starter for the 2026 season, one of the biggest follow-up questions was what’s next for Shedeur Sanders. The immediate answer is serving as Cleveland’s QB2, and waiting for what many people feel is an inevitable opportunity to start in 2026.
If that opportunity does ultimately present itself, what Sanders does with it will go a long way in deciding how his future looks. The second-year quarterback could establish himself as Cleveland’s QB1 of the future, or he could make it easy for the Browns to select a quarterback in the first round of next year’s draft.
If Cleveland does go in another direction at quarterback next offseason, it’s fair to say Sanders’ time with the Browns could end then as well. Turns out, teams throughout the league are preparing for that possibility.
NFL insider James Palmer recently appeared on 92.3 The Fan, and he reported that there’s an intriguing allure to Sanders that results in him being discussed in other buildings. According to Palmer, other teams are monitoring the young quarterback’s on-field and off-field development.
"They know he throws a good ball. They know he was a developmental prospect. They know that there's something there. There is an it factor to Shedeur that is discussed other places. There is an allure to him just because of how he’s wired and how he goes about his business, that is intriguing."
NFL teams will be watching Shedeur Sanders closely in 2026
Palmer went on to detail that most of the conversations by other teams are about how they want to keep an eye on Sanders and how he develops. While that may be hard for some to fathom since every team passed up on the quarterback multiple times in the 2025 Draft, the insider cited two key factors that are driving the interest.
The first factor is that he has put on tape that he can throw a really good ball. Despite all the criticism surrounding Sanders and his game, he’s shown in every game that he can throw the ball well. The other factor pertains to off the field, and it’s that Sanders isn’t really stirring up drama like some people argued he would pre-draft.
"Everybody thought it was going to be this circus that was gonna follow Shedeur to Cleveland, and that it was gonna be something that may not be attainable at this level. I do think the rest of the NFL has noticed that that has not happened. And I think that’s important to mention that that is not what’s going on in Cleveland with Shedeur Sanders, when some people really even probably exaggerated those thoughts as fact, and thought they were facts around draft time. I think the league has noticed that hasn’t happened."
It may be hard for some Browns fans to grasp that second point since they are entrenched in social media wars and daily sports radio debates about Sanders, but the reality is that Sanders isn’t personally fueling any of the noise around his name. By all accounts, he has exhibited perfect locker room character since entering the league.
Teams throughout the NFL are noticing that. Of course, NFL franchises aren’t a monolith, and there are still some anonymous voices who are quick to let it be known that they aren’t a fan of Sanders. That was on display in a recent CBS Sports piece, where a few NFL front office staffers questioned if Sanders is even a starting-caliber quarterback, and if not, if he’s worth the noise around him as a QB2.
Like everything with Shedeur Sanders, he remains a polarizing individual. Either way, a ton of eyes will characteristically be on him in 2026, waiting to see how his NFL career will unfold.
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