PARADISE, NV — In what may finally be the end of their infamous and futile pursuit of a franchise quarterback, the Cleveland Browns may have finally found it in QB Shedeur Sanders.
Yup. I said it.
Yup, I don’t care it was against the Raidahs
Yup, I don’t care that for all intents and purposes, that he was blackballed by the league and given the “Colin Kapernick” treatment by all 32 teams, including the Browns.
Yup, I don’t care about who his dad, Deion is/was, or what his last name is, what I care about is that Shedeur finally instilled some much needed juice into the veins of a moribund franchise stuck in the mud, can’t get out of its own way, and honestly needs some excitement once again.
Shedeur is HIM.
Yeah. I said it.
After getting his first ever NFL snaps in an 23-17 loss at home vs the Baltimore Ravens, where he completed four of 16 passes for 47 yards and get manhandled by the rugged Ravens defense in also throwing an interception, Sanders rebounded nicely in passing for 209 yards on 11-20 passing with one touchdown and one interception.
While there are some growing pains that’ll be expected with someone who is gonna be making his second NFL start as QB1, the same grace that was given to the diminutive Dillion Gabriel and his lack of seeing downfield and making big plays, the same needs to be given to Shedeur and his habit of holding on to the ball too long.
It’s something that can be coached out of Sanders, but aside from that, he already has an NFL-level arm, witnessed by his 56-yard pass to WR Isiah Bond on a third and eight.
At 6’2 and 212, Sanders has much runway to grow and develop, especially with what appears to now be a six-game audition to be the Browns QB1 in 2026–and beyond.
If you’re a Browns fan, you are praying to the holy trinity of Otto Graham, Frank Ryan and Bernie Kosar—congratulations on the successful liver transplant, by the way—in that Cleveland may have finally found their guy.
It is truly sad and embarrassing when a graphic shows that the Browns have had as many starting quarterbacks (45) as U.S. presidents.
That truly says something in how horrible Cleveland has mishandled the QB position.
And while this upcoming 2026 NFL Draft doesn’t have a Andrew Luck-level franchise QB1 for teams to tank for, if Sanders balls put in these final six games, do the Browns pass on a QB and choose to instead surround Sanders with OL and WR help instead?
Think about it.
OL Joel Bitonio is set to retire, Jack Conklin’s contract is up, and Wyatt Teller is also set to hit free agency. Those are massive holes to address in both the offseason and in the draft.
If the Browns are smart—for once—they address this in the offseason, and add a top level prospect such as OT Spencer Fano of Utah, Francis Mauigoa of Miami (FL) or Isaiah Bond of Oregon.
At WR, there is no doubt that WR Jerry Jeudy is playing on burrowed time, thanks to his drops and mental lapses in judgement—do we REALLY need a list?—either with their own pick, or the Jaguars pick, the Browns need a tall athletic playmaker for Sanders to throw to, and names like Jordyn Tyson—the younger brother of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Jaylyn—out of Arizona State, Carnell Tate out of THE Ohio State University, Chris Bell out of Louisville and Denzel Boston of Washington fit the bill, and would perfectly pair up across from Cedric Tillman.
A name that is quickly building a lot of buzz and could be a nice home run addition for Cleveland is 5’11, 190-pound burner K.C. Conception out of Texas A&M, who could be had either in the late first round, currently where Cleveland’s second pick via Jacksonville is at No.22, or slide into the top half of the second round.
Either way, if the Browns see enough out of Sanders to bypass the likes of Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza, Alabama’s Ty Simpson and Oregon’s Dante Moore, and instead address OL and WR, surrounding Sanders with both protection and weapons, then that would the smart move.
The question is, considering Cleveland’s own head-scratching history, will they stay out of their own way for a change?
Stay tuned.