Shedeur Sanders

Sanders enters 2026 in an open camp battle with Deshaun Watson, who carries $45M guaranteed and the GM-stated 'inside track' despite returning from a torn Achilles. Sanders ran some first-team OTA reps, but the job is not secured and HC Todd Monken set no deadline before the Sept. 13 opener.

His 2025 rookie tape was shaky: 56.6% completions, 7 TD to 10 INT, a 72.9 passer rating and 21 sacks across seven starts. Cleveland's front office has signaled it may move on entirely if neither Watson nor Sanders proves to be a long-term answer.

Monken publicly called Cleveland's room 'two starting-level quarterbacks,' and Sanders' OTA surge — taking first reps in nearly every competitive drill on a Wednesday practice — has the competition genuinely open against a 30-year-old, expensive incumbent coming off a major injury.

A stable ~12% carry share gives him a mobility-driven scoring floor that lifts his superflex value the moment he secures snaps, a meaningful edge in 2QB/SF formats at his depressed price.