Shedeur Sanders' chances of becoming the Browns' starting quarterback in 2026 have diminished as Deshaun Watson is now favored for the position. This news has sparked discussions about potential trades for Sanders by several teams.
Key points
Shedeur Sanders was considered for the Browns' starting QB role in 2026
Deshaun Watson is now favored to be the starting QB
Watson's edge was noted during voluntary minicamp
Coaching staff aims to finalize QB decision by June
Cabot revealed that Watson took over as favorite during the teams' recent voluntary minicamp. She also noted that head coach Todd Monken would ideally like to have things figured out by June.
"Deshaun Watson emerged from the Browns’ voluntary minicamp last week with an edge over Shedeur Sanders in the two-man quarterback competition — and has the inside track to be named the Browns QB1, sources tell cleveland.com," Cabot said.
"Coach Todd Monken hopes to declare — or at least identify — his starter by the end of Browns minicamp June 9-11, meaning Sanders has about six weeks to close the gap and try to overtake the former three-time Pro Bowler," Cabot added.
Things clearly aren't looking good for Sanders, who has "plenty of ground to make up" to catch Watson, Cabot said.
Q&A
Which teams are likely to trade for Shedeur Sanders?
Several teams are being considered for potential trades for Shedeur Sanders, although specific teams are not detailed in the report.
Why is Deshaun Watson favored over Shedeur Sanders for the Browns' starting QB?
Deshaun Watson has emerged as the favorite due to his performance during the recent voluntary minicamp, as reported by Mary Kay Cabot.
What impact does the Browns' QB situation have on Shedeur Sanders' future?
The Browns' decision to favor Watson over Sanders could lead to Sanders being traded to another team, affecting his career trajectory.
When does the Browns' coaching staff plan to finalize their QB decision?
Browns head coach Todd Monken aims to have the quarterback situation figured out by June.
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If Sanders doesn't secure the starting job this offseason, it's possible the Browns will look to trade him. Here's six teams that should have interest.
Neither quarterback is even close to a sure thing. McCord has never taken a snap in a regular season game and Ridder hasn't seen game action since 2024.
This situation can't stand for a win-now team like the Packers that could miss the playoffs if Jordan Love misses so much as one game due to injury.
As a rookie, Beck is, of course, unproven, and both Minshew and Brissett are journeymen backups. Adding to that, Brissett is holding out for a new deal.
That's right, Jacoby Brissett is holding out. That tells you all you need to know about Arizona's quarterbacks room.
Geno Smith is in place to start in 2026, but he was one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL last season and isn't a long-term solution.
The Jets are reportedly flirting with Russell Wilson, but he offers zero long-term upside and, at this point, may not even be better than Sanders after what we've witnessed out of him in recent years.
If Jones isn't ready for the season or succumbs to injury during it, something we have seen happen many times during his career, the Colts will be depending on the unproven Riley Leonard. That's not ideal for a possible playoff team like Indy.
If he misses any time at the top of 2026, the Chiefs will be relying on Justin Fields as their starter and we saw just how badly that worked out for the Jets last year.
Of course, this is a much different situation with Fields playing for Andy Reid now, but Fields' track record of lackluster play is longer than just one season. It certainly wouldn't hurt to add more competition.
