The Browns may have found some breathing room at quarterback, and Shedeur Sanders is the one who benefits most from it.
Cleveland’s 26-10 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday gave the Browns their second straight victory, and Monday brought more clarity to a situation that had been swirling around Sanders. For a while, there was real talk that Cleveland could move him to the Giants, especially after New York lost starting quarterback Jaxson Dart to a season-ending knee injury in Week 2. That idea is off the table now.
The reason is J.J. McCarthy.
The Minnesota Vikings dealt their third-year quarterback to the Giants for a 2027 fifth-round pick, ending the Sanders-to-New York chatter in the process. The Giants are still expected to start Jameis Winston, with McCarthy set to back him up unless head coach John Harbaugh makes changes during the season.
So Sanders stays put in Cleveland. That part is settled. What isn’t settled is whether that gives him any real path onto the field this season.
He spent all of training camp battling Deshaun Watson for the No. 1 job, and Watson won it. After the Browns’ Week 1 loss to the Jaguars in Jacksonville, where Watson threw for 205 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in a 34-10 defeat, it didn’t seem like he had much of a cushion.
But Week 2 changed the tone. Watson helped Cleveland beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-19, then followed that with another win against the Panthers, making it look more and more likely he’ll hold the starting role for a while.
Watson also had a message for the fans after the Panthers game, despite the history between the two sides over the last five seasons.
"From the moment I woke up, the anticipation, the anxiousness, just to get in front of the fans, to get here, to get started," Watson said. "The energy, the fans, it was amazing.
They kept believing in us, and they kept the energy up. Overall, we didn't give up.
We fed on that energy."
Now Cleveland turns quickly to a home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football. A win would push the Browns to 3-1 heading into Week 5 and put them atop the division, with a division win that neither the Cincinnati Bengals nor the Baltimore Ravens have. Those two teams could still reach 3-1 in Week 4, but for now, the Browns are in position to keep climbing.
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Pat Freiermuth brought an old scar back into view this week when he revisited a rookie-season memory that stuck with him far beyond the final whistle. Ahead of the Steelers upcoming game against the Browns, the tight end described the scene around his game-winning touchdown in Cleveland, a moment that should have been about the play itself but instead turned into something far uglier in the stands.
Freiermuth said his mother was the one caught in the middle of it, and the memory has been enough to change her routine when the Steelers head to Cleveland. Even so, he made clear there are no lingering hard feelings, just a reminder of how quickly a night in the AFC North can turn personal and why certain road games still carry an edge no scoreboard can erase. [Read more 🡒]
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The bigger worry is that the problem has not settled down, even with key players drawing repeated flags, including right tackle Tytus Howard. The Browns have been able to survive it by winning tight games and leaning on late scoring drives from Deshaun Watson, but the margin for error shrinks quickly when a team keeps putting itself behind the chains and giving away yards it cannot afford to lose. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Rookie Is Pushing Veterans In A Troubling Position Battle
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That kind of early efficiency can change a depth chart quickly, especially for a team trying to sort out its safety mix and steady itself against the run. Cleveland has reason to consider expanding McNeil-Warrens role if the current personnel at the position keeps leaving openings, and the next stretch could show whether the rookie is merely earning more trust or forcing a tougher conversation about who should be playing more. [Read more 🡒]