Browns Predicted to Quickly Replace Shedeur Sanders with Young Star QB

 
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Shedeur Sanders at Browns rookie minicamp.
If the Cleveland Browns don’t have a better season during the 2025-26 campaign, there’s a very good chance the team could be looking to select another quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Browns are still searching for a franchise quarterback, but after taking Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round, some believe they might’ve found one.

Sanders has plenty to prove in the NFL, and until he does anything, there isn’t much of a reason to believe he can be a star. While he has starter potential after what he showed at Colorado, this is a completely different game, and all parties seem to understand that.

 
Who Could the Browns Target in 2026?
Regarding what the Cleveland Browns could do if Sanders isn’t what they’re looking for, Jordan Reid of ESPN recently predicted that the team would trade up to select Cade Klubnik with the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. 

He added that the Browns could look to take a big swing in the draft next year, adding that Klubnik makes the most sense. 

“The Browns drafted two quarterbacks last week: Dillon Gabriel in Round 3 and Shedeur Sanders in Round 5. But Cleveland didn’t address the position with any of its four picks in the top 70, and it might take a bigger swing next April. Klubnik made huge strides in his second season as a starter, finishing 2024 with 3,639 passing yards, 36 touchdown passes and only 6 interceptions. He could be the long-term answer.

“Klubnik maintains a strong platform while going through his reads and is consistent no matter the defensive structure. He also has the mobility to escape pressure, but he has B-level arm strength, so it will be important for him to show that he can throw into tight windows this season. His game reminds me a lot of Bo Nix,” he wrote.

Given that Reid didn’t have Arch Manning getting drafted in his mock, it must mean that he doesn’t believe he’ll leave Texas after next season. 

 
Could the Answer Already Be on the Roster?
The Cleveland Browns have to be hopeful that one of the five quarterbacks on their roster can be anything of significance. Sanders seems to make the most sense as a potential long-term option, but according to a report from Zac Jackson of The Athletic, that isn’t expected to be the case early on. 

“Stressing months, not weeks. It’s no surprise that Flacco and Pickett alternated turns with the No. 1 offense. Given their draft order, it’s also no surprise that Gabriel out-repped Sanders in the second OTA practice and first open to reporters. Almost certainly, the battle for the starting job is between the two older quarterbacks who are only signed through 2025. The battle for longer-term positioning is between the rookies. There’s almost no scenario where a rookie wins the starting job initially.

“Much of the battle will take place when no one externally is watching. Meetings, film evaluation and playbook processing will be a part of things. Reps will change — and they won’t always be even. Sanders is last in line for now and got the fewest reps on Wednesday, but based on the touch and accuracy he’s shown in just brief glimpses, that can change quickly as long as Sanders is willing to learn and be coached,” he wrote.

Jackson brings up some fair points, and considering the Browns brought in Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, giving one of them the keys to run the offense seems to be the plan. 

If one of them goes down, however, perhaps Sanders will get an opportunity to show what he has in the NFL.
Jon Conahan covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. Since 2019, his sports coverage has appeared at Sports Illustrated, oddschecker, ClutchPoints and Sportskeeda. More about Jon Conahan