
Bernie Kosar praised QB Shedeur Sanders, suggesting he could get an early opportunity in the Browns' 2026 season. The quarterback battle with Deshaun Watson remains a key focus as training camp approaches.
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As the Cleveland Browns begin to prepare for the 2026 NFL season, the organizationâs current quarterback battle between veteran Deshaun Watson and 24-year-old Shedeur Sanders continues to be the main storyline heading into training camp.
Watson, after missing last season due to an Achilles tear he suffered during the 2024 season, is now finally back in the starting quarterback mix leading up to the upcoming season. Still, while the battle between the 30-year-old and Sanders remains a huge question mark, a familiar face to Browns fans recently gave praise to the teamâs young quarterback.
While discussing the Brownsâ quarterback competition on Yahoo! Sports Daily, legendary former quarterback Bernie Kosar gave high praise to Sanders, claiming that he believes the young quarterback will receive an opportunity early in the season if he is not named the starter for Week One.
âFor Shedeur to come in to come in as a [rookie], with a really limited talent roster around him offensively, he certainly made plays,â Kosar stated. âHe deserves to be in the mix, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Shedeur get this opportunity early if he doesn't come out as the Game 1 starter.â
After being selected in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Sanders began his rookie season as the No. 4 quarterback on the Brownsâ depth chart. However, this did not prevent him from seeing the field throughout the 2025 season, as he made his NFL debut in Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens after fellow rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel suffered a concussion in the first half.
Sanders would then go on to start the rest of the regular season for the Browns, finishing with 1,400 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, while also completing 56.6 percent of his passes. And while the polarizing quarterback faced plenty of adversity last season, there were enough flashes to keep him in consideration for the starting quarterback role in 2026.
Bernie Kosar praised Shedeur Sanders, stating he deserves to be in the mix for the starting quarterback position and could get an early opportunity in the season.
Shedeur Sanders is competing with veteran quarterback Deshaun Watson for the starting quarterback position for the Cleveland Browns.
Deshaun Watson is back in the starting quarterback mix after missing the previous season due to an Achilles tear suffered in 2024.
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Unfortunately for Sanders and the rest of the Brownsâ quarterbacks, the return of Watson could prevent the young group from starting Week One in the upcoming regular season. The former 2017 first-round pick signed a massive five-year, $240 million guaranteed contract with the organization, and even with his struggles during his time in Cleveland, the Browns could give him one last chance to begin the season to see if the franchise receives some return on their investment.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns' legend Bernie Kosar gives high praise to QB Shedeur Sanders