Now that the Browns have named Deshaun Watson their starter for Week 1, Shedeur Sanders is back where he started the summer trying to fight for a job, only this time as a backup.
That makes the conversation in Cleveland a little different. Sanders is no longer in the mix to open the season under center, but he still carries real value as a young quarterback with a cheap contract and far more upside than most reserve passers. That kind of profile can draw interest, even if the Browns are not expected to move him.
If Cleveland does listen, there are a few teams that make sense as possible landing spots.
Detroit jumps out first. The Lions have a clear need behind Jared Goff after Teddy Bridgewater retired in the offseason, leaving newly signed Josh Dobbs as the current insurance policy.
Sanders would fit the way Detroit wants its quarterback to play, since he and Goff both lean on accuracy from the pocket. He would still be behind Goff, of course, but the appeal is obvious: a chance to sit with a team that has been winning lately and learn in a stable environment.
Green Bay is another logical possibility. The Packers’ depth chart behind Jordan Love currently features Tyrod Taylor and Kyle McCord, which leaves room for another young arm.
Taylor has dealt with injuries, and McCord was a late-round pick last year, so Sanders could be more than a one-year patch there. Green Bay already showed a willingness to take that route when it traded for Malik Willis after his second NFL season and eventually turned him into a backup.
That move paid off when Willis later signed a big deal to go to Miami as a starter, and the Packers could see Sanders in a similar role behind Love.
Miami also belongs on the list. The Dolphins are in rebuild mode as they look ahead to a more aggressive 2027 offseason, and they brought in Malik Willis this offseason to see if he can become their franchise quarterback.
But Willis has not played more than eight games in a season, and Miami’s backup situation includes late-round pick Quinn Ewers. Sanders was viewed as the better quarterback than Ewers in the 2025 NFL Draft, so he would give the Dolphins a stronger young option if Willis gets hurt or falls short.
Still, the Browns may be the best place for Sanders to actually get on the field this season. Even after losing the starting battle, he remains the most realistic in-house option if Watson struggles.
With the way Watson has played in Cleveland, there is at least a chance he could be benched at some point in 2026, which would open the door for Sanders to make his case. Cleveland’s quarterback room is also one of the thinnest in the league, which makes it hard to justify moving a young player with his kind of upside.
Sanders may have to wait longer than he wanted, but the opportunity to play is still there.
In Other News...
Dolphins End Camp With Roster Battles And New Injury Questions
The Dolphins wrapped training camp with an indoor practice centered on red zone work and late-game situations, the kind of session that often says as much about the roster as the plays themselves. Several players made their presence felt, including Malik Willis, Malik Washington and rookie Caleb Douglas, while head coach Jeff Hafley used the day to provide a final round of injury updates as Miami turned the page from camp routines to roster decisions.
Even with camp in the books, there are still plenty of moving parts for Miami to sort through. Some players were back on the field after injury, others were still limited or unavailable, and that mix keeps the depth chart fluid heading into the next phase of the preseason calendar. For a team that has spent the summer sorting out competition at multiple spots, the last practice offered a useful snapshot, but not a final answer. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Could Pull Off A Franchise Reset Without Losing A Blue-Chip Weapon
The idea of a Dolphins reset with a safety net attached is the kind of offseason-or-beyond speculation that gets attention quickly, and ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid has floated a particularly intriguing version of it. In his 2027 mock draft, Miami would move down from the No. 1 overall pick to Cleveland, stockpile multiple picks in the process, and still come away with wide receiver Jeremiah Smith from Ohio State, giving the front office a chance to reshape the roster without walking away empty-handed.
On paper, it is the rare trade-down scenario that still leaves the Dolphins with a premium offensive weapon at the top of the draft. Reids proposal has the Browns sending their first-round picks, a fourth-round pick and a future second-rounder to Miami, which would make the haul significant even before the Dolphins turn around and make their own selection. It is all speculative for now, but the framework raises the exact kind of question teams hope to answer when a franchise reset is on the table: how much can you gain while still landing the player who changes your outlook? [Read more 🡒]
Malik Willis Just Put Dolphins Offensive Struggles Front And Center
Training camp has already shown why the Dolphins are still searching for offensive rhythm, and Malik Willis added a small but telling moment to that picture during a recent practice. After a rough start, the quarterback stopped the offense to pull everyone back together, a sign of how quickly the unit has had to confront its own uneven execution.
Bobby Slowik has already acknowledged the problems, pointing to the pass protection and pass catching issues that have surfaced in preseason action. With Jeff Hafley suggesting the starters may play against the Atlanta Falcons, the next chance to clean things up could come soon, but the bigger question remains whether Miami can turn those reset moments into something more reliable when it counts. [Read more 🡒]