It has been the biggest question for the Cleveland Browns since the 2025 season ended. How are they moving forward with Shedeur Sanders? Andrew Berry has still not spoken with certainity over him.

And while Todd Monken has walked the same line, he has also praised the QB. In his 2026 NFL Combine press conference, the Browns head coach was asked about the former Colorado QB. He said:

“I think what you see is elite playmaking ability, that’s in him. You’ve seen it; we’ve seen it; you saw it in college; you saw it on tape last year. Sure, there’s a ways to go, but what rookie isn’t? I mean, what first-year player doesn’t have a long way to go? So I’m excited to get started with him, and all of our quarterbacks, and all of our players.”

Sanders has yet to live up to his NFL hype, but has shown flashes of his playmaking potential. In the Week 12 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, he sensed pressure from the defensive front and rolled out to his right to buy time.

This was his first game as QB1, and he did not just panic and throw the ball. Sanders moved outside the pocket and threw a deep pass that traveled 50+ yards in the air and dropped perfectly into the hands of rookie wide receiver Isaiah Bond.

The Raiders tackled Bond near the 2-yard line, but this play led to a touchdown on the very next snap. It was also the longest pass that the Browns had this season. This wasn’t the first time Monken had shown interest in Sanders.

“Hey, we tried to draft your a** last year, for God’s sake. It’s all worked out. You remember that, right? Someday we’ll get a chance to talk about that,” he said the very first time he met Sanders after becoming the Browns’ head coach.

But Andrew Berry Wants More From Shedeur Sanders

The Browns’ general manager is not fully impressed by how Sanders performed in the 2025 season. When asked about Sanders’ development, Berry initially deferred to coach Todd Monken.

“I think the biggest thing that we want to see from Shedeur is just continued growth. I think he grew a lot from start one to start seven. I think certainly playing more efficiently, not putting the ball in harm’s way as much, would be important.”

But like Berry pointed out, Sanders did throw the ball in harm’s way as well. He had 10 interceptions over eight games. His QBR is 18.8 -18.9, the lowest single-season mark in Cleveland Browns history for any quarterback with at least six starts. Do you think he should be the Browns QB1 in the 2026 season?

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Written by

Reyansh Dubey

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi