Shedeur Sanders' rookie season with the Browns was a disappointment. Now, an ESPN insider is questioning if he deserves a second chance in 2026. 

Shedeur Sanders had an 18.9 QBR this season, the worst for any Browns QB with at least six starts. Toni Grossi talked about Sanders' future on the ESPN Cleveland Podcast.

The EPSN Insider is fine with Sanders competing, but he also feels that the Browns should not make him the starting QB.

"I think he'll compete. I think it'll be fair. I don't think he deserves to be handed the job...Andrew Barry's had 10 times he could commit to them, and he never has. He's not his advocate."

The Browns' rookie had a passer rating of 68.1 with 1,400 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 8 games this season. Grossi;s comment suggests that this performance is not enough for the Browns to give the starting job to Sanders.

He wants him to compete for that place. With advanced statistics, it does not look good for Shedeur Sanders does not look that good when we look into advanced statistics. His EPA is -0.21, which ranks him at 167th out of 184 NFL quarterbacks.

Among quarterbacks with an EPA of -0.18 or lower (Sanders’ range), only Jared Goff and Alex Smith (about 8%) went on to have productive careers. And it's not Grossi alone who is not in favor of the former Colorado QB being made the starting QB.

“I just don’t think (the Browns) go into the season with Shedeur as their top option. And getting the right quarterback in the draft isn’t a guarantee based on where they pick," an NFC personnel man said to ESPN. But who, if not Sanders?

2026 Free Agent Can Replace Shedeur Sanders

The teams with the top 3 picks (Raiders, Jets, and Cardinals) in the 2026 NFL Draft need a QB. This makes drafting a top QB at pick number 6 very difficult for the Browns. But they can sign a free agent QB: Malik Willis.

Willis had signed a 4-year rookie deal with the Titans, and they later traded him to the Packers. Now the deal expires this year, and if he does not sign an extension, the Browns have the chance to bring in and replace Shedeur Sanders.

This season, he had a passer rating of 145.5 with 422 yards and 3 touchdowns in 4 games this season. Overall, he has recorded 1,322 yards and 6 touchdowns in his career.

What do you think about him as the Browns' starting QB in 2026?

Written by

Reyansh Dubey

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu