The Browns have made their call at quarterback, and it leaves Shedeur Sanders sitting behind Deshaun Watson after a preseason that at least forced Cleveland to think about it.
Sanders did his part to keep the conversation alive. In Saturday’s Aug. 22 preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, he completed 9 of 11 passes for 74 yards and a touchdown. But with Watson named the Week 1 starter, the question now shifts from Cleveland’s depth chart to the trade market.
That’s where the real intrigue starts. Sanders may not walk into another building and instantly take over as QB1, and that’s not the point.
For the right team, he’s the kind of backup quarterback who can matter in a season that can go sideways fast if the starter goes down. He’s young, he’s already started in the league, and he’s shown enough to make him more than just a placeholder.
Here are four teams that should at least call the Browns.
The Los Angeles Rams make a lot of sense on paper. Matthew Stafford is in place, but the options behind him are still unsettled.
Stetson Bennett and rookie Ty Simpson are battling for the backup role, and Sanders would bring a much more proven option to a team built to win now. Sean McVay would be getting a quarterback who has already felt regular-season NFL pressure, not just another developmental arm.
Tampa Bay is another team worth watching. Baker Mayfield is locked in as the starter, but the Buccaneers could use another layer of protection behind him.
Jake Browning has experience, yet Sanders brings more upside and has already made seven starts. The Bucs wouldn’t be trading for him to create a quarterback competition.
They’d be looking for a low-cost insurance policy if injuries hit.
Philadelphia also fits the profile. Jalen Hurts is entrenched as the starter, but the Eagles’ depth chart behind him is far from bulletproof, with Tanner McKee and veteran Andy Dalton leading the group.
Sanders would give them another young quarterback with real game experience, someone they could develop without any pressure to unseat Hurts. If the former Super Bowl MVP were to get hurt late in the season, that kind of depth suddenly matters a lot more.
Baltimore is the most interesting possibility of all, even if it sounds unlikely at first. The Ravens were reportedly interested in Sanders during the 2025 draft, and ESPN said they planned to take him in the fifth round before Sanders made it clear he did not want to land somewhere he’d be backing up two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson.
That history makes a deal hard to picture, but the football case is still there. Jackson missed four games in 2025 after a hamstring injury against Kansas City, and Baltimore’s offense struggled without him. If that kind of situation comes up again, Sanders could be the sort of backup who helps keep the Ravens in the hunt.
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