Shedeur Sanders is set to get a real look this weekend, with the Cleveland Browns giving him the start at quarterback against the Buffalo Bills in front of the home crowd. That’s a big moment for a player who still appears to be sitting behind Deshaun Watson, though Saturday’s work - along with what happens in practice this week and Thursday’s joint session with Buffalo - could change that picture.
Even so, there are strong reasons the Browns may be better off beginning the season with Sanders on the bench.
The schedule alone makes life difficult. Cleveland opens on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars, then travels even farther south in Week 2 to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
That matchup comes with an invigorated Baker Mayfield looking for revenge. For any quarterback, starting out with back-to-back road games is a challenge.
For someone with minimal experience like Sanders, it’s a much steeper climb.
If Watson gets the first crack and plays well, Sanders can keep learning without being forced into action too quickly. If Watson struggles, the Browns could decide they’ve seen enough, avoid a messy situation in the home opener, and turn to Sanders once the team returns home in Week 3.
There’s also the reality of how Browns quarterback situations tend to unfold. Fans in Cleveland are used to seeing the team cycle through passers during the season, but being the first one benched is never a great sign. It usually means something bigger is already going wrong.
Sanders could win the job and still be facing a brutal setup right away. Todd Monken is not in Cleveland to lose, and if the early results go sideways, a benching could come before things spiral too far.
There’s a cleaner path, too: let Sanders develop from the sideline. That matters even more because he is in his second offensive system in two years.
He does not need to be a do-or-die player for the Browns in 2026. He can still grow, get on the field later, and remain in the mix in 2027 against whatever young quarterback the team brings in.
Throwing him into the fire before he is ready would be a classic Browns move, and one that could wreck his chance to settle in and succeed in Cleveland.
In Other News...
Browns Offense Finally Showed Something Fans Have Been Waiting For
A joint practice against the Bills gave the Browns a chance to measure themselves against another roster, and for once the offense came away with something to build on. Head coach Todd Monken said Cleveland looked like it belonged on the field, a notable step for a group that has spent much of camp trying to find its footing. There were still mistakes and some injuries to sort through, but the overall impression was more encouraging than the usual late-summer noise around an offense still trying to settle in.
The offensive line also showed progress, which matters just as much as any flashier moment in practice because it sets the tone for everything else. Cleveland still has a long way to go before anyone can draw conclusions about the season opener, but this was the kind of day that can hint at a unit starting to mesh. For a Browns team looking for signs of cohesion, it was at least a reminder that the offense may be moving in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Quarterback Uncertainty Could Put Rival Cutdown Decision In Focus
After the first week of preseason, Cleveland still does not have a clear answer under center for 2026, and that uncertainty is starting to frame everything the Browns do at quarterback. Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson and the rest of the room have all had uneven moments, leaving the team with more questions than answers as the evaluation process continues into the rest of August.
Across the state line, Pittsburghs own quarterback decision has become a subplot worth watching, with Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar all tied to the Steelers roster picture. Howard, a former Ohio State quarterback, made a strong preseason debut and is now the kind of player Cleveland could have in mind if he ends up available, giving the Browns one more possible name to monitor while their own competition remains unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Quinshon Judkins Injury Should Ease One Big Browns Concern
Quinshon Judkins has been working through a nagging injury during training camp and the preseason, which kept the Browns running back out of practice for stretches at a time. Even so, head coach Todd Monken has framed the absence as precautionary, and the early read is that Cleveland is not dealing with a major setback as it builds toward the start of the season.
For a Browns team that is counting on Judkins to lead the backfield in 2026, that matters. He enters the year as the expected feature back and a player with real fantasy football appeal, so every missed practice naturally draws attention, but the current outlook suggests Cleveland may be able to move past one of its bigger camp concerns without it turning into a season-opening problem. [Read more 🡒]