Glenn Kaplan
During the 2025 NFL season, the Cleveland Browns missed the playoffs once again with a 5-12 record. They finished in last place in the AFC North for the second consecutive season. With Cleveland finishing in last place once again in the division, it led to the franchise firing Kevin Stefanski as head coach. He won the coach of the year award with the Browns twice. Stefanski coached with the team from 2020-2025. He also made the postseason twice with the team.
The franchise kept general manager Andrew Berry around. A lot of fans were disappointed that he wasn’t fired. Instead, Cleveland hired Todd Monken as the next head coach. He was the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens last season. Monken decided not to follow John Harbaugh to the New York Giants. There are many people wondering how Monken’s first season will go with the Browns. Cleveland fans are always thinking worst case scenario with this franchise. However, what could be something positive that might happen for the Browns in 2026?
Best case scenario is that Shedeur Sanders wins the Cleveland Browns starting QB job
Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports listed the best-case and worst-case scenarios for each NFL team as the 2026 NFL season approaches. With the Browns having another quarterback battle between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders, some feel like Sanders is better off winning the job. Sullivan said about what Cleveland’s best-case scenario should be, “The QB battle between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders ends with Sanders on top.
Not only does Sanders win the Week 1 job, but the second-year signal-caller runs with it and gives Cleveland the long-term answer at quarterback it has been starved for. Sanders and first-year coach Todd Monken begin building a strong foundation that changes how the rest of the league views Cleveland going forward. Suddenly, the Browns have a stellar young core with a 24-year-old quarterback at the center of it.”
This would no doubt be the best-case scenario for this franchise. Berry would then have to figure out what else the roster would need in the 2027 NFL Draft. For now, a lot of NFL analysts are linking the Browns to drafting a quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft. There are some who think that the Browns could select Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Brendan Sorsby in the NFL Supplemental Draft.
Watson is already 30 years old and many already know what he can do. He didn’t play at all in 2025. Sanders had growing pains in 2025, but the Browns are better off having him be the starting quarterback in 2026 as a 24-year-old.
Unclear week 1 starter for now
Obviously, it is not clear who will be the Week 1 starter for the Browns against the Jacksonville Jaguars. If Sanders does win the job, then he will give the Browns hope for the future and it also means that Watson’s NFL career is probably over. If Sanders loses the job, then it would be interesting to see how he would handle the backup quarterback role. What this franchise can’t afford is for Watson to get injured and for Sanders to be bad. If that’s the case, then either Dillon Gabriel or rookie Taylen Green see the playing field. That would then mean they have no choice but to draft someone in the 2027 NFL Draft.
