Shedeur Sanders entered a mess of a quarterback room in the Cleveland Browns, hoping he could prove himself valuable. Of course, the winds didn’t change until Week 11 when he finally took over the offense. But his short NFL career has returned to point A. With head coach Todd Monken confirming that the QB competition is officially open in Berea, Sanders can relax with the good news he just received. However, does that make much of a difference?

With the Browns open to welcoming Ty Simpson in the 2026 NFL draft, one can argue that Sanders and Watson will be in an entirely different battle.

“Last year was a challenge just to be disciplined and be patient. This year, he doesn’t have to be patient,” ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Grossi said yesterday. He’s gotta attack that opportunity against, if Deshaun [Watson] is healthy. Given his history when he was healthy, it’s gonna be a tough competition for Shedeur [Sanders] to beat him out.

“So it’s gonna be an interesting competition, and I’m glad it more resembles a traditional QB training camp competition rather than that farce we saw last summer.”

Back in July 2025, Sanders was skimming through the playbook pages at midnight, trying to learn the new offense under Kevin Stefanski. Little did he know that the then-head coach had other plans. Months passed, and the regular season started, but Sanders never got to use those strategies on the field with the first team.

But with long passes, the right decisions under pressure, and using his legs to move the chains, he showed every skill that fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel failed to. And, believe it or not, that has helped him in his second season in the league. But only so much.

At this point, with the veteran QB Watson re-entering the field, the competition is less about the ability to throw but about what they bring to the table otherwise. Watson is in the final year of his contract and is very well gone the next season. Sanders, meanwhile, is not yet seen as the franchise QB that will be the change maker on the team. So, where does that leave them?

That’s a simple question, really. Believing all the signs so far and knowing the fact that the Browns have a couple of first-round picks, they could go after Ty Simpson. But head coach Todd Monken’s plan is not to put Simpson on the field from the get-go. Instead, he would want him to settle down to the NFL’s speed and physicality before he needs to lock horns. That is exactly where Sanders and Watson could be very helpful.

With Watson returning to the field after at least two seasons and Sanders still trying to find his footing, both bring the same potential. But if they can help lead Simpson by example, they could be more than useful for the Browns. The team could consequently see who they want to keep as their QB1. It will only further help Sanders.

How does Ty Simpson’s presence in the Browns help Shedeur Sanders’ QB race?

It will be an interesting QB room if the Alabama alum is brought in. However, it is also more certain than not that he won’t be starting in his first season here. That, firstly, ensures that the QB competition remains in status quo, where Gabriel, Sanders, and Watson are the only ones participating. But it gets more concentrated.

Former head coach Stefanski kept voting for Oregon Gabriel to be the team’s primary signal caller. After all, he had a tag of being a Heisman finalist and carried adaptability to switch his offense to new playbooks quickly, as he did throughout his collegiate career. But the loopholes became apparent. Sanders finally made his debut against the Baltimore Ravens in a loss. He, however, already showed what he needed to.

Throwing long passes, making the right decisions under pressure, and using his legs to move the chains, he showed every skill that Gabriel failed to. And, believe it or not, that has helped him in his second season in the league.

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Entering the offseason, a weak Cleveland offense knew Sanders could very well be their QB1 next year. So much so that Gabriel is not even being considered in the QB battle. He is among the names that just might be traded away as an asset.

That would actually be good news for Sanders. If Gabriel is moved, the race for the starting job narrows significantly.

Watson has not taken a single snap in over a year and continues to rehab his Achilles tendon. Despite that, Cleveland has made it known that Watson remains part of their plans for 2026.

“Look, I can never predict the future, but right now we do anticipate him being on the 2026 team. But we have a long way to go before we get to that point with any player,” GM Andrew Berry said in January.

However, while the door is open for Shedeur Sanders, the noise surrounding him refuses to quiet down. And to address it, the young quarterback dropped a cryptic message that said everything without saying anything at all.

​Shedeur Sanders responds to growing noise with a cryptic message

The Athletic’s Cleveland Browns insider, Jason Lloyd, recently pointed out a significant concern about Sanders: He reportedly struggles to read film properly.

“Enough people have said things like, ‘Doesn’t watch a ton of film. Doesn’t really know how to watch film. Had to sort of be shown how to watch film. Doesn’t know what he’s looking at on the field. Doesn’t know when he’s hot.’ All this stuff, and people just lost their minds over it,” Lloyd said on 92.3 The Fan.

That report was like a lit matchstick to a gunpowder, putting a trail of criticism that had already been building around Sanders. Those who had long questioned whether he had what it takes to be a starter now had a fresh reason to pile on. Until, the quarterback himself spoke up.

“Learn to value the opinions of those who care about you, not the noise from everyone else,” Sanders wrote on X on March 13.

The league has not been particularly welcoming to Shedeur Sanders since day one. Some have blamed it on his attitude. Others have already labeled him a bust before he has truly had the chance to start. But there is one thing worth remembering: When everything fell apart for the Browns last season, it was their home stadium that loudly called for Sanders to be named the starter.

The same crowd that wanted former head coach Kevin Stefanski gone. Now, it all boils down to how the QB can prove that he is not only the quarterback that the Browns have been looking for but also brings a promise for the future.