When the 2025 regular season ended, Andrew Berry refused to commit to Shedeur Sanders. However, he just dropped a major hint about the QB's future.

In an exclusive interview, Senior Broadcaster Nathan Zegura asked the Browns GM whether he and Todd Monken agreed on how to move forward. That's when the GM mentioned a shift in strategy.

"I would probably make a comparison to maybe where we were coming out of the 2020 season, where our biggest priority was surrounding our young quarterback Baker Mayfield at the time with as much as possible to make sure that the offense could get off the ground. I think we're in a similar spot here, just with the opposite sides of the ball," said Andrew Berry.

In 2020, the Browns signed veteran defenders John Johnson III (safety), Troy Hill (cornerback), Takkarist McKinley (defensive end), and Anthony Walker Jr. (linebacker) in free agency to boost the defense and add experience.

Even during the draft, they picked defensive players like Greg Newsome and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. Berry saying that the 2026 situation resembles that situation could mean that they are once again going to look for players that can support the QB.

Replacing Shedeur Sandres and other Browns QBs might not be their priority after all. NFL Network Insider Cameron Wolfe has also backed this claim.

"I talked to their general manager several times over the offseason, and he said, ‘I feel like we’re very close to set on defense, but we have needs at wide receiver, offensive line, and of course, figuring out that quarterback question.’ Don’t be surprised if they don’t select a quarterback in the first round of this draft," said Wolfe.

The Browns Need to Protect Their QB1, Even if It’s Not Shedeur Sanders

Because what will a quarterback do if he does not have the offensive weapons to support him? Jerry Jeudy, their primary WR, had the second-most drops in the season (10).

And that wasn't even the worst part about the Browns in 2025. They had only 4,456 receiving yards, which is the third-lowest in the league. Cleveland also scored only 16 touchdowns, which is the second-lowest in the 2025 season.

Even if they do bring help here, they need to fix the OL. Their quarterbacks were hit with 51 sacks, placing them 7th in the league for most sacks allowed this season. Shedeur Sanders alone took 23 of those sacks.

Although analysts noted that Sanders was responsible for 25-30% of his own sacks for holding too long, it doesn't hide the offensive line's faults.

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Written by

Reyansh Dubey

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi