The buzz building around Deshaun Watson entering the on-field phase of the Cleveland Browns’ offseason has been impossible to ignore. Head coach Todd Monken and GM Andrew Berry have refused to rule anything out regarding the Browns' looming quarterback competition. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo went as far as putting Watson in the “pole position” based on his experience over both Shedeur Sanders and fellow second-year pro Dillon Gabriel.
All signs continue to point toward a Watson-vs.-Sanders duel in training camp this summer. Berry only supported that notion to reporters Sunday when he hinted that a young quarterback (aka, a 2026 draft pick) would be the more likely roster addition over a veteran (like Kirk Cousins or Russell Wilson) at this point in the process.
What that means for Sanders’ immediate future with the team remains a mystery.
Berry continued to toe the company line on Sanders during the NFL Owners Meetings in Phoenix over the weekend. When asked specifically about what Sanders would have to prove this summer to resume his role as the starting quarterback, Berry instead spoke about how the entire QB room will be learning and adjusting to not only a new offensive system, but heavy turnover in personnel on that side of the ball.
“But he's been working really hard,” Berry said of Sanders. “I would expect him to take a step forward, and we'll deal with that kind of week-by-week and month-by-month."
It sure sounds like Sanders will need to have a monster summer to keep Watson and his fully-guaranteed, $46 million base salary on the bench in 2026.
The good news for Browns fans hoping they’ve already seen the final snaps of Watson’s tenure with the Browns? Sanders appears to be coming in confident after confirming his jersey number change from No. 12 back to No. 2, which he wore both at Colorado and Jackson State.
#2
— Shedeur Sanders (@ShedeurSanders) March 30, 2026
Shedeur Sanders’ jersey number change could mean more than fans think
Sanders lost out on the number most closely associated with his brand last year, as the No. 2 was already occupied by veteran free agent wide receiver DeAndre Carter. Cleveland added Carter on a one-year deal at the beginning of April, prior to the 2025 NFL Draft, and as a fifth-round rookie who opened minicamp fourth on the Browns’ QB depth chart, Sanders didn’t exactly have the chops to take a number from an eight-year veteran.
Sanders making the switch to No. 2 hints at the one trait that could ultimately win him Cleveland’s QB competition this summer — his confidence. He stepped into an impossible situation in the middle of the 2025 regular season, with next to no practice reps with the first-team offense under his belt, a banged-up and struggling offensive line, and a skill position group that featured rookies as the team’s leading rusher (Quinshon Judkins) and pass catcher (Harold Fannin Jr.).
To Sanders’ credit, he didn’t back down to that challenge, nor did he succumb to the many rookie mistakes that came with getting tossed into the fire following Gabriel's concussion. He won his first career start against the Raiders, passed for 364 yards against the Titans, and won back-to-back AFC North rivalry games over Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers, and Joe Burrow and the Bengals. Say what you will about Sanders' chances of becoming a franchise quarterback in the NFL, but he’s definitely not lacking for confidence.
That’s what the No. 2 symbolizes entering 2026. It’s the Sanders aura, a link back to the identity he built in college as he molded a resume that had the majority of draft experts touting him as a sure-fire, first-round pick prior to his now famous 2025 draft slide.
He’s going to need all of that swagger and then some to fight off Watson and whoever else the Browns might add to the QB room this month. But Sanders definitely didn’t switch his jersey number to wear it on the bench with a ballcap and earpiece during games. He did it to signal the start of a new beginning.
Based on the Browns’ current state of affairs, fans can only hope that 2 is greater than 4 this summer.