Should the Browns stick with Shedeur Sanders? Grading QB’s first start of the year

The Cleveland Browns turned to second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders on Sunday afternoon with Deshaun Watson in concussion protocol. The result was a back-and-forth, overtime affair against the New Orleans Saints, which Cleveland ultimately lost 23-22. Sanders, to his credit, performed well once tossed into the fire. He met the moment after months of bubbling anticipation.

There was a point in training camp when it felt like Cleveland might name Sanders the outright starter. In the end, Watson's seniority (and contract) got him the job. Watson held tightly to that job through Week 8, with 1,806 yards and seven touchdowns on a 65.5 percent completion rate. Cleveland is 5-3 in Watson starts this season. Conventional wisdom tells us Sanders' performance on Sunday was a blip on the radar — a pinch-hit situation. There's reason, however, to believe Cleveland will (or at least should) consider a change.

Grading Shedeur Sanders' first start in 2026

Sanders was undeniably impressive on Sunday against an admittedly vulnerable Saints defense. The 24-year-old did what he does best: hang in the pocket and stretch the field, unafraid to launch difficult throws under pressure. He finished with 297 yards, two touchdowns and a 114.6 passer rating. He completed 19-of-31 passes (61.3 percent).

Cleveland scored 10 fourth quarter points to send the game to overtime. Sanders led a go-ahead touchdown drive with under six minutes on the clock. Then, he led the game-tying field goal drive as the final minutes ticked away. The Browns defense was unable to reward Sanders' efforts in regulation, but he was extremely clutch — a word commonly ascribed to Deshaun Watson, whose fourth quarter heroics are the reason Cleveland has a path to the playoffs right now.

Those clutch efforts continued in overtime. Down a touchdown, with their backs against the wall, Sanders led another scoring drive. The Browns went for two to win, instead of kicking the extra point for a tie. It did not go their way. It's hard to blame Sanders for that outcome specifically.

This was an incredibly promising performance for Sanders, whose rookie campaign was largely underwhelming. This was the version of Sanders many Browns fans believed could lead the team into the future — or at least provide a viable alternative to Watson. Despite his shiny record, Watson has done little to affirm his status as a true contender-caliber starting quarterback this season.

Sanders' Week 9 grade: B+

Should the Browns turn to Shedeur Sanders the rest of the way?

Sanders probably needed a win to really move the needle in his favor. It will be hard for Cleveland to penalize Watson, the more "accomplished" quarterback, for a loss to the previously one-win Saints. On the surface, this was a poor outcome for Sanders and a positive outcome for Watson, insofar as it helps him maintain QB1 status.

That said, put wins, losses and other circumstantial measurements aside for a moment. Sanders' performance on Sunday was as good as any Watson start this season. His 114.9 passer rating eclipses Watson's passer rating in seven of eight starts to date (the lone exception being a Week 2 win in Tampa Bay). Sanders also threw for 297 yards, a number Watson has only bested in two of eight starts. Sanders' 9.6 yards per attempt bests every single Watson start.

Sanders took five sacks, yes, but Watson is the only quarterback in the NFL to record eight sacks in a game this season. He has done so twice. Cleveland's offensive line can shoulder the blame there; Watson, meanwhile, is not half so evasive. Sanders has always struggled with holding the football longer than he should, but he uses those extra seconds to size up the defense and challenge them downfield. Watson has spent all season playing a very conservative, dink-and-dunk brand of football.

Take, for example, this incredible completion to Jerry Jeudy on third-and-six with less than 40 seconds on the game clock. It moved the chains and put Cleveland in position to kick the game-tying field goal. Sanders danced out of the pocket, took a haymaker from Chase Young, and still drilled his well-contested receiver on the sideline. That is not a throw Watson has in his repertoire nowadays.

He became the only quarterback in the NFL to complete more than one 60-yard pass this season. In a single game. One example: this 64-yard bomb to KC Concepcion with a little over five minutes on the game clock, which Sanders completed as the pocket collapsed around him — and right before he took another shot.

Sanders, again, likes to hold the football. It can get him in trouble and lead to a few too many of those "shots" taken by defenders. It can also lead to an artificially inflated highlight reel. There are instances, no doubt, when Sanders makes it harder than it needs to be.

Given Watson's crippling lack of aggression or dynamism, however, it's hard not to appreciate Sanders' flair for the dramatic — his willingness to test a defense and go for the knockout punch. Cleveland came into Sunday ranked 21st in passing yards per game and 20th in total offense. The Browns have long relied on elite defense, but it's hard to argue in favor of Watson's point guard-like mentality. The best NBA quarterbacks are shooting guards, the ultra-aggressive gunners who operate with a certain risk tolerance. Sanders is going to produce more variance than Watson by nature, but the more positive upswings could mean the difference between a middling offense and an offense that wins in the playoffs.

This is not to say Sanders is the answer, or the man Cleveland should build its franchise around. In all likelihood, the Browns will be at the front of the line for a quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft, depending on how the dominoes fall. My point, however, is simple. Watson is not good enough to lead a team to the Super Bowl. With that concession in mind, why not see what Sanders can do with an extended runway and real talent around him? It's worth testing the waters, just in case something special happens.

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