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Browns Announce Decision Ahead of Shedeur Sanders’ Second NFL Season

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Hugh Green | Last updated Mar 31, 2026 11:18 AM ET

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders had an impressive start to his career in the NFL. In his rookie year in 2025, Sanders played in eight games, starting seven of them. In these appearances, he completed 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns with 10 interceptions. This led to a Pro Bowl selection.

This came after Sanders was taken in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Colorado. With the Buffaloes in college, playing under his father, Deion Sanders, the Tyler, Texas, native had a fantastic career. Across two seasons with Colorado, Sanders completed 71.8% of his passes, an all-time FBS record, for 7,364 yards and 64 touchdowns with 13 interceptions.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) throws a pass at Paycor Stadium.Via Imagn Images

Heading into the 2026 season, Sanders is in the midst of a battle for the starting quarterback position with Dillon Gabriel and Deshaun Watson. Gabriel played in 10 games last year with six starts, while Watson missed the entire 2025 season recovering from an Achilles tendon rupture.

This offseason, the Browns hired Todd Monken as the team's new head coach to replace Kevin Stefanski, who was fired in January.

On Tuesday, Monken announced a quarterback decision before the 2026 season gets into full swing.

"#Browns coach Todd Monken said the QB reps won't be divided evenly, even in the beginning," said Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot. "Someone will get the bulk. He said how things ended last year will be a factor. But he wasn't ready to state that Shedeur Sanders will start out as QB1."

This statement from Monken came one day after Browns owner Jimmy Haslem said that Watson has a "great chance" to be the team's starting quarterback in 2026, according to ESPN reporter Daniel Oyefusi.

While nothing is certain just yet, it will be interesting to see who starts under center for Cleveland in Week 1.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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