The Cleveland Browns’ rookie QB, Shedeur Sanders’ future is still uncertain for the 2026 season. 

With Kevin Stefanski gone now, there’s no guarantee that the newly appointed head coach will favour him as the QB1 or not. Amidst the uncertainty, a prominent Browns reporter, Dan Labbe, expressed his honest opinion. 

"I would imagine they're going to look for a veteran. You could say Shedeur Sanders is going to be able to compete, be in the mix...But I don't think you can go into next year with any sort of plan with him as your QB1."

Before the 2025 draft, there was much hype surrounding Sanders. However, it all went down when the 23-year-old got picked in the fifth round by the Browns. He didn’t play until Game Week 11, replacing another rookie QB, Dillon Gabriel. 

In seven starts, he scored 7 touchdowns for 1400 passing yards. However, his performance was inconsistent, as he threw 10 interceptions and was sacked 23 times.

Moreover, Shedeur finished the season with the worst QB rating of just 19. 

Will Shedeur Sanders become the QB1 for the Browns in 2026

After coach Kevin Stefanski’s departure, GM Andrew Berry outlined Shedeur Sanders’ offseason improvement plans.

“I like to see him continue to make progress. He got valuable reps this year, starting seven games. I think he’s gotta continue to make progress with his pocket management, his situational awareness, things like that. But I’d like to see him take major steps forward.”

At the same time, with the Browns holding valuable first-round picks for the 2026 draft, the team will be looking to strengthen the QB position, from the draft or through trades.

“Now that all being said, we’re going to do our work on the quarterback market. It’s too important of a position and it’s something that has to be solidified. I can’t sit here and tell you today whether the solution for, or the starter in 2026, is internal or external. But it’s something that we’re going to work through over the next several weeks.”

Written by

Kalp Thaker

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu