The Cleveland Browns find themselves at a pivotal crossroads this offseason - and it all revolves around the quarterback position. With Deshaun Watson returning to full health, the obvious question is whether the Browns hand the reins back to their high-priced veteran, or if they lean into the promise of rookie Shedeur Sanders, who flashed enough intrigue in 2025 to make this a real conversation. There’s also the ever-present possibility that Cleveland dips into the free agent pool or looks to the draft for a fresh face.
New head coach Todd Monken, introduced earlier this week, didn’t tip his hand. When asked directly about Sanders - who, despite a rocky season, earned a Pro Bowl nod as an alternate - Monken kept things open-ended, saying the starting job is “still to be determined.”
That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement, but it’s not a dismissal either. And it leaves the door wide open for debate, both inside the building and out.
One voice not shy about his stance? Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith. During a passionate appearance on Up & Adams, Smith didn’t hold back his belief that Sanders should be QB1 in Cleveland.
“What does Cleveland have? Absolutely nothing,” Smith said, clearly frustrated with the ambiguity surrounding the Browns' quarterback situation. “So what’s the debate?”
Smith pointed to Sanders’ eight-game stretch in 2025 as enough evidence to make the call. “I haven’t seen anyone else earn the right to be that, but him,” he said.
“And he hasn’t played enough, and they haven’t given him enough chances to be on the football field. And when he’s on the football field, they feel better.
They look better.”
Smith’s connection to Sanders goes deeper than just tape and stats. He played alongside Deion Sanders during their Dallas Cowboys days, so he’s known Shedeur since he was a kid. According to Smith, that upbringing - being around greatness and learning from one of the most dynamic athletes the NFL has ever seen - has shaped Shedeur into a confident, driven competitor.
“The team believes different. His energy is different.
His swag is different. His level of confidence is different,” Smith said.
“Notice I said confidence. I didn’t say nothing about arrogance.”
That kind of belief - not just in himself, but radiating throughout the locker room - is what Smith sees as the intangible edge Sanders brings to the table. “He’s not walking out there thinking, ‘Can I do it?’
or ‘Do I have the possibility to do it?’ No.
He’s going to make it happen.”
Now, let’s talk about the numbers. Sanders’ rookie season was far from perfect.
He finished 3-4 as a starter, completing 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards, with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. That’s a tough stat line, especially the interception count - which led the league over the final eight weeks.
And to be clear, his 56.6% completion rate ranked near the bottom among starting quarterbacks.
But context matters. Sanders started the year buried on the depth chart behind Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel.
He didn’t get his first start until Week 12 against the Raiders - and he made it count. In a 24-10 win, he went 11-of-20 for 209 yards, a touchdown, and a pick.
That win made him the first Browns quarterback to win his debut start since 1995 - a wild stat that says as much about the franchise’s history as it does about Sanders’ performance.
After that, things got bumpier. The interceptions piled up, and the accuracy issues became more pronounced.
But for a rookie who was never expected to see the field in Year 1, Sanders showed enough flashes to suggest there’s something to build on. He was, statistically, one of the league’s worst starting quarterbacks in 2025 - but he also outperformed expectations based on where he was drafted.
That’s not nothing.
This is where the Browns have to make a critical evaluation. Do they see Sanders as a long-term answer who just needs time and reps to develop?
Or do they default back to Watson, hoping he can finally deliver on the franchise-altering investment they made in him? Monken’s arrival adds another wrinkle - new coach, new offense, new evaluation process.
One thing’s for sure: the Browns can’t afford to get this decision wrong. With a defense that’s ready to win now and a fan base starving for consistency under center, the quarterback choice this offseason could define the next few years in Cleveland. Whether it’s the veteran, the rookie, or someone not even on the roster yet, the Browns have a franchise-shaping decision ahead.