The quarterback talk around the Browns keeps landing in the same ugly place, and Shedeur Sanders is taking the brunt of it.
National power rankings and betting lines already have Cleveland near the bottom, and the quarterback spot is the loudest reason why. The Athletic’s Mike Sando added to that picture with his annual QB tier ranking, placing both Deshaun Watson and Sanders in the lowest tier.
Sanders came in last overall. SB Nation’s quarterback data also had Sanders’ 2025 performance at the bottom of the league.
One line tied to Sando’s ranking stood out more than anything else all offseason:
“‘I’d sleep like a baby if I got to play him every week”
The Athletic’s new Quarterback Index only deepened the concern. The metric, like ESPN’s QBR, is designed to isolate what a quarterback actually controls and strip away the help - or lack of help - from the rest of the offense.
QBI is a metric we’ve created that strips away the contributions from a quarterback’s 10 offensive teammates and credits only what the quarterback provides on a per-play basis. Again, it’s not perfect; no QB stats are. But the hope is that QBI provides a better picture of quarterback quality than the traditional stats (passing touchdowns, passing yards, completion rate) as well as the more advanced metrics (EPA and success rate).
Joe Burrow led the way with a 132, while Matthew Stafford and Brock Purdy were next at 125. Sanders, though, was all the way down at 37th and last with a 47. By that measure, his 2025 season was about 40% worse than the next quarterbacks on the list: JJ McCarthy at 76, Tua Tagovailoa at 78, and Cam Ward at 78.
How much of that lands on Sanders, former Cleveland HC Kevin Stefanski, the lack of preparation in college, or some kind of bias is still up for debate. But QBI is built to take one common excuse out of the conversation: the supporting cast.
With Watson set to start the season, there’s at least a belief that Sanders could get another shot under a different coach, with more NFL experience, and a better supporting cast. If that happens, the numbers and rankings around him should be worth watching all over again.
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Browns Just Sent A Risky Early Message About Shedeur Sanders
The Browns have settled their quarterback order for Week 1, and it sends a clear early-season message about how Cleveland plans to begin the year. Deshaun Watson is set to start against Jacksonville, with rookie Shedeur Sanders slotted in behind him and Taylen Green third on the depth chart. Dillon Gabriel, meanwhile, is still on injured reserve and unavailable for the opener.
For Sanders, the placement matters because it puts him in the backup role right away, at least for now, while the Browns head into the season with a defined hierarchy under center. With Gabriel out and Green in the mix as the emergency option, Cleveland has created a quarterback picture that is straightforward on paper but still leaves plenty to watch once the games start and the depth chart begins to matter in real time. [Read more 🡒]
Browns May Have A Week 1 Line Issue Fans Didn't Expect
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Todd Monken has already left the door open for rookie Austin Barber to handle the starting right guard spot if Jenkins cannot go, and Barbers preseason play has given the staff a reason to trust him. If Jenkins is held out, the Browns may be leaning on a rookie sooner than planned, which makes this one of the more quietly important developments to watch before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]