The biggest news out of the Cleveland Browns this week is how well Shedeur Sanders played in just his third start. Against the Tennessee Titans last Sunday, he passed for 364 yards and three touchdowns with only one interception. He also added 29 yards and a touchdown on the ground, which was good enough to be the team's leading rusher.
Sanders has four games left to audition for the starting job next year. While drafting a first-round quarterback may sound enticing, Sanders being the starter in 2026 is the quickest way the Browns can get out of the mess they have dragged themselves into.
Despite only three starts in the NFL, Sanders has already shown enough promise to justify a further evaluation. In an offense that struggled all year to push the ball downfield, Sanders already has four of the top five longest offensive plays for the Browns this season, per Pro Football Reference.
In his last game alone, he set records. He had the first 300-yard, four-touchdown game by a Browns QB since Week 13 last year. Sanders joins Joe Burrow as the only rookie quarterbacks in NFL history to throw for at least 350 yards, three touchdowns, and rush for a touchdown in a game. He also became the first rookie since Eric Zeier in 1995 to win in their first NFL start.
The full list of players with 350 Pass Yards and 4 Total TD in a game within their first 5 starts during rookie season since merger
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 7, 2025
▪️Shedeur Sanders
List complete pic.twitter.com/xQBMTHFkyv
It’s not just the stats, either, Sanders is showing on tape that he is getting better every week. In his first game action against the Ravens four weeks ago, things did not go well. Sanders took bad sacks, wasn’t stepping up in the pocket, and wasn’t trusting his receivers. Now he’s going through progressions, playing on schedule, and has even reconciled with his best receiver, Jerry Jeudy. Sanders showed his ability to extend plays and throw the ball with elite accuracy, things he flashed on his college tape at Colorado.
Sticking with Shedeur Sanders is the cleanest, most logical solution to the Browns' upcoming rebuild
It's no secret that the Browns are still paying for the Deshaun Watson contract. Next year, he’s due $80.7 million, according to Over the Cap. They technically could cut him with a post June 1 designation, spread the damage into future years, and eat the money, but they already have $31 million in dead-cap money they have to pay next year. Currently, the team has only $23 million in cap space to roll over for 2026. They once again don’t have much to spend in free agency.
This is certainly a bad year for the Browns to not have a lot of cap space because they have a lot of needs to address in the offseason. Four of the five starting offensive linemen from Week 1, Wyatt Teller, Ethan Pocic, Jack Conklin, and Joel Bitonio, are all pending free agents in 2026. Going even further, the one-year rentals of Teven Jenkins and Cam Robinson are also up this year.
The WR room also needs reinforcements. In 13 games, that room has only produced 1,097 receiving yards between six players. So, yes, the Browns will have to once again bank on the draft to fill the desperate needs on offense.
The fact of the matter is, the Browns are sitting at pick No. 4 overall for the 2026 draft entering Week 15, below the Titans, Raiders, and Giants. Quarterback is a premium position, so not only will the best ones go in the beginning of the first round, teams will likely trade up.
Take the New York Jets, for example. They are a team without a franchise QB and have five first-round draft picks in the next two years; the Browns have three. Like in any trade in life, the prize always goes to the highest bidder, and the Browns simply can’t afford to give up that draft capital.
Why burn multiple draft picks to get one QB, which is one roster hole, compared to the multiple others along the roster? The team needs an offensive tackle, a wide receiver, another interior offensive lineman, as well as depth at cornerback, safety, and linebacker.
Let’s just say Sanders doesn’t pan out next year. Well, at least the offense around the quarterback position will be ready for a more talented guy to step in. Best-case scenario, when drafting a rookie signal caller, the new quarterback will show promise but struggle because of a lack of offensive talent. Worst-case scenario, the new guy doesn’t show any promise, and you’re back to square one with no weapons at WR or anyone stable on the offensive line.
Building around Sanders is the best move forward, because not only are you giving a promising player a true evaluation, but it's the fastest process to getting an offense you can win with.