Shedeur Sanders’ first preseason work of 2026 came with the kind of result quarterbacks want to erase fast: a 34-10 Browns loss to the Bears and one interception that quickly became the conversation.
Sanders played in Cleveland’s preseason opener on Saturday and finished 6 of 11 for 79 yards with the pick, splitting quarterback duties with Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel. Afterward, he addressed the turnover with reporters, saying he believed the throw was the right decision even though the play did not come off cleanly.
“What’d I see? The right read, just slipped.
It was the right read, it just slipped,” Sanders said. “That’s what makes me mad a little bit.
But any decision I make, I know is the right decision, I just didn’t execute the decision, but the right decision was made. So every day I look at my decision making.
"How’s my decision-making? That’s how I grade myself. Obviously turning the ball over is not great and I won’t survive a long time in the league doing that, but as long as my eyes and my feet and everything were in the right place, being able to execute, it just may happen.”
That explanation didn’t sit well with former NFL scout Daniel Kelly, who blasted Sanders on social media for what he saw as a lack of accountability.
"Some NFL quarterbacks take accountability. Shedeur Sanders made an excuse," Kelly tweeted.
Sanders is entering his second year with Cleveland after the Browns selected him in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft. As a rookie, he threw for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions across eight games, including seven starts.
The Browns still have two preseason games left before turning to the 2026 regular season, with a home matchup against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, Aug. 22 at 1:00 PM ET and another at Huntington Bank Field against the New England Patriots on Thursday, Aug. 27 at 8:00 PM ET.
For now, Cleveland has not named a starting quarterback for 2026. Sanders and Watson are widely viewed as the leading candidates for the job, and Sanders will get two more chances in the preseason to strengthen his case.
In Other News...
Bears Have 3 Reasons To Feel Real Hope For 2026
Luther Burden, Caleb Williams and Devin Bush have each given the Bears a reason to believe the next step could be a meaningful one. Burdens role grew as his rookie year unfolded, Williams showed real statistical improvement in his second season, and Bush turned in the best defensive numbers of his career in 2025. For a team looking for more consistency from its core, that kind of upward trend matters.
What makes the picture more interesting is how different those paths are. Burden is building on expanded usage, Williams is trying to turn second-year progress into true franchise-level production, and Bush has already shown he can raise his standard on defense. If each keeps moving in the same direction, Chicago could enter 2026 with three players positioned to shape the season in a much bigger way. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Suddenly Have A Backfield Decision They Cant Ignore
A routine practice rep has quickly turned into a depth problem for Chicago, with Kyle Monangai now considered week-to-week after a knee injury in a collision with Grady Jarrett. For a backfield that was already going to need steady answers, the timing matters. The Bears are now staring at a familiar late-summer question: whether to add more insurance behind a group that can ill afford to be thin.
Nick Chubb is the name that naturally comes up when teams start looking for proven help at running back, and Chicago is no exception. He brings the kind of veteran track record that can steady a room in a hurry, and his availability invites the discussion even before any move is made. For now, it is only a possibility, but the Bears suddenly have a decision to weigh in a backfield that could use clarity fast. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Williams Just Added Fuel To A Bears Debate That Wont Fade
Caleb Williams arrived in Chicago with the sort of expectations that can reshape a franchise conversation overnight, and his first season only sharpened the debate around how much of the burden should fall on the quarterback. The rookie dealt with a battered offensive line and a sack rate that constantly put the offense behind schedule, yet he still helped guide the Bears to the NFC North title and into the Divisional Round, giving the front office and coaching staff real proof of concept even as the growing pains remained impossible to ignore.
What keeps the discussion alive is that Williams has already shown the high-end arm talent and poise to make difficult throws when the moment gets big, which is exactly why the scrutiny has become so intense. Some observers still label him overrated because the ceiling came packaged with huge expectations, and the missing piece remains the same one the Bears have to solve around him: cleaner decision-making and more consistent play, especially if the offense is going to match the promise his first year only hinted at. [Read more 🡒]