With a disappointing season, a question still stands for Shedeur Sanders. Will he be the QB1 of the Browns?

The issue is that there is no definitive answer to that question. Myles Garrett has said that the team will give him a shot at the position to prove that he deserves it.

ESPN expert Tony Rizzo has talked about it on 850 Cleveland. "I just hope that Shedeur gets an honest-to-God shot to win this job. ... I applaud Coach Monken for not giving anybody the job," he said.

Todd Monken was asked about Sanders as the QB1 of the team, to which he said that nothing is finalized yet.

Rizzo supported the take, saying, "Who are you going to give the job to? Shedeur played a handful of games. Deshaun hadn't been on the field in three years, two years. And Dylan Gabriel didn't look like anything special. Although, who knows? There's always room for improvement."

Shedeur Sanders debuted halfway through the season when Dillon Gabriel had a concussion against the Ravens. In the 8 games that he played, Sanders threw for 1,400 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, earning a passer rating of 68.1.

Dillon Gabriel was not great either. He was the QB1 for the season when the season started and threw for 937 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions in 10 games, earning a passer rating of 80.8. Desahun Watson is the most experienced amongst the three.

But the big problem is that he has not played a game after Week 7 of the 2024 NFL season because of injuries. He couldn't even finish the 2023 season because he was diagnosed with a fracture in his arm. So the question is valid: who would be the QB 1 of the Browns?

Maybe a $30 Million Free Agent QB Could Replace Shedeur Sanders?

Green Bay Packers' backup QB Malik Willis is a free agent coming into the 2026 season. ESPN's Ben Solak thinks the Browns should go after him as soon as possible.

"They should give Willis $30 million per year now, backload it and let him ride as their developmental starter for the next few seasons," Solak writes.

"His tools are so remarkably beyond those of Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, and he has a playstyle similar to Lamar Jackson, with whom Todd Monken just worked. This is a good marriage."

Over four games in 2025, Willis has completed 85.7% of his passes for 422 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 12.1 yards per pass with a 145.5 rating. He has also rushed for 123 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns.

Would you take him as the Browns' QB1 in 2026? Tell us what you think in the comments and follow the Cleveland Browns Community for more updates!

Written by

Reyansh Dubey

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu