Does Week 14 matchup against 2025 No. 1 pick Cam Ward give Shedeur Sanders chip on shoulder?

Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders faces friend, Tennessee Titans rookie QB Cam Ward, on Sunday. 

Ward and Sanders trained together in the months leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft. Since then, their careers have taken different paths. 

The Titans selected Ward with the No. 1 pick in April, and despite some early struggles (31.8 QBR, 30th in the NFL), Tennessee seems poised to stick with him for the foreseeable future. Sanders, meanwhile, fell to pick No. 144 in the fifth round, and his future with Cleveland is far from certain. Will that give the former Colorado star extra fuel heading into Sunday's matchup in Cleveland at 1 p.m. ET (Fox)? 

Shedeur Sanders discusses matchup with Cam Ward 

During a Wednesday news conference, Sanders downplayed the storyline. 

"Nah, I think it's nothing extra within myself," he said. "It's a lot of great quarterbacks, you know, week by week, that we play against. So, I wouldn't say this adds anything." 

While he didn't call out his fellow QB before Sunday's matchup, the stakes are still high for Sanders. Outplaying Ward would help prove the Browns (3-9) were lucky to land him and make the Titans (1-11) wonder if they should've taken a closer look at him in the draft. 

At the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl in Frisco, Texas, former Titans HC Brian Callahan (fired after Week 6) told ESPN's Turron Davenport that some of Sanders' skills reminded him of Cincinnati Bengals sixth-year QB Joe Burrow's.

"One of the things that makes Joe so unique, and I think you can probably put Shedeur in the same conversation. ...They anticipate when they throw it, they have the timing and accuracy on top of it," Callahan, who was Bengals offensive coordinator from 2019-23, said. "If you're throwing on time and putting a ball when and where you're supposed to go, you're not going to have too many problems." 

Winning another game would also help Sanders show the Browns why they should keep rolling with him in 2026. Clearly, Cleveland must see more from the rookie, who has gone 1-1 in two starts since replacing fellow rookie QB Dillon Gabriel as the starter. During this span, he has completed a below-average 60 percent of his passes for 358 yards and two touchdowns, while tossing one interception (via StatMuse).

The Browns could eye a passer in the 2026 draft, scheduled for April 23-25 in Pittsburgh. In his latest mock draft, The Athletic's Dane Brugler has Cleveland trading up with Tennessee from No. 5 to No. 1 and selecting Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza.

A Week 14 matchup between two teams well out of playoff contention typically isn't appointment viewing for fans, but that may not be the case here. It's an important matchup for both rookie QBs, which may make it worth checking into.