When the Cleveland Browns traded the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 Draft, and picked up an extra first-round pick in the 2026 Draft, everyone assumed they would draft a first-round quarterback in 2026. While the Browns went on to select two mid-round quarterbacks in 2025, that expectation still remains. Unless Shedeur Sanders, who’s set to make his second start in Week 13, convinces the franchise he's who Cleveland has been looking for, the team will take a QB with its first pick.
There is one other thing, besides Sanders playing promising enough, that could prevent the Browns from drafting a first-round quarterback in 2026. That other thing is Cleveland picking up too many wins down the stretch of the season, to the point the team may be out of range for the top quarterbacks.
Browns could play themselves out of drafting a quarterback in 2026
The Browns are currently 3-8, and would have the sixth-overall pick in the 2026 Draft if the season ended today. For Cleveland to have the best chance of landing a top quarterback next year, it would help the franchise to lose out. However, with the level of the Browns defense, the new spark Sanders has added on offense, and the remaining schedule for Cleveland, that probably won’t happen.
In Cleveland’s final six games, it will play the 8-4 San Francisco 49ers, the 1-10 Tennessee Titans, the 8-3 Chicago Bears, the 6-5 Pittsburgh Steelers, and the 3-8 Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns are only a 3-8 team, so losing all six games is definitely on the table. However, it wouldn’t be surprising if the team picked up two more wins either.
If that happened, Cleveland would have five wins, likely putting the team in the back half of the top 10 draft picks. With the 2026 Draft not shaping up to be a deep quarterback class, the best quarterbacks could already be off the board before the Browns are even on the clock. That would leave the franchise with two options if they are determined to draft a quarterback in he first round: reaching on a QB or using the two first-round picks to trade up.
Both options are concerning for Cleveland. You never want to reach for a quarterback, and take one just to take one. Additionally, trading up can get very costly, especially since it’s usually a bidding war with so many teams involved. Considering all the needs the Browns have, they need to hold on to as many picks and players as possible.
That means in the next six weeks, Browns fans need to hope for one of two things. Either Shedeur Sanders proves to be a quarterback worth building around or the Browns don’t win any more games.