With Shedeur Sanders taking the reins on Sunday, the Cleveland Browns have now started two quarterbacks this season, and only one thing remains crystal clear: They're still a quarterback away from being a legitimate playoff threat.
That said, Sanders played as well as — if not better — than Deshaun Watson in Sunday's wild 23-22 road loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Sanders wasn't spectacular for all four-plus quarters — he only had 25 passing yards at halftime — but he made life easier on the offensive line, got multiple skill position players involved, and got better as the game went on.
Monken turned to Watson because Sanders probably wasn't far enough along in his development, and it's hard to argue against that logic after Watson won five of his first eight games.
But even in the loss, Sanders may have done more than enough to at least reignite the QB debate that dominated the summer.
Browns have to seriously consider sticking with Shedeur Sanders over Deshaun Watson
Sanders finished the game with 19 completions on 31 attempts for 297 yards, two touchdowns, and a 114.6 quarterback rating. He also rushed for 28 yards and took five sacks, which is obviously far from ideal. But his knack for making things happen was on full display from the third quarter on.
Sanders passed for 197 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and overtime alone, so it's not like Watson has much of an edge over him in clutch situations. He's as confident as anyone, and he didn't waver or even hesitate to take a big hit — like the one he took from Chase Young on the final drive of regulation — if that meant making a big play.
Even so, this goes way beyond the numbers. Sanders isn't a finished product, but he showed major signs of improvement in every aspect of his game in his first start of 2026. He didn't hold onto the ball for that long, he got rid of it when there wasn't a play, and he didn't always go for the home run.
While the running game wasn't much better with Sanders on the field, the offensive line didn't have such a tough time settling the pocket because he didn't take as many deep dropbacks as Watson. His deep ball was also better, with two 60-plus-yard plays in the game — two more than what the Browns have had all season with Watson.
At the end of the day, winning is all that matters, and Watson has led the team to five game-winning drives this season. That said, Sanders was a failed two-point conversion away from leading one of his own Sunday.
He's not a perfect quarterback, but he's a young player with upside who's clearly working on improving his game. He's still under contract for two more years, and the receivers seem to believe in him and his leadership.
Sanders may not be a long-term solution at quarterback, but what if he can be a placeholder while they develop whoever they take in the 2027 draft? What if he can keep the offense ahead of the sticks and not have to resort to late-game heroics every week?
You have to at least consider giving him another start after Sunday's performance.
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