There was almost nothing positive for the Cleveland Browns to take out of their 31-3 road loss to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Week 15, save for one bright spot.
Cleveland’s loss, along with other outcomes across the NFL, positioned it as the team with the second-highest odds to secure the No. 1 overall pick.
“The Browns are locked into a top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and now have the second-best chance (19.9%) to get the No. 1 pick, according to ESPN Analytics, only trailing the Las Vegas Raiders (39.0%),” Daniel Oyefusi reported via X on Monday, December 15.
And while that is incredible news for the organization, it should be troubling for rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders coming off a three-point performance by the offense in which he tossed three interceptions.
Cleveland not only has its own first-round selection, but also holds the one belonging to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
If the Browns finish with a top-2 pick, they will not only have an unimpeded swing at either Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza of Indiana and/or Dante Moore of Oregon as potential replacements/competition for Sanders, but they will also be able to draft another player near the end of the first round, which should embolden them even further to select a QB regardless of specific roster needs or how Sanders finishes the season
Shedeur Sanders Lost Zero Confidence During Defeat in Chicago
GettyQuarterback Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns.
Sanders remained confident following the game, while head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed that Sanders will continue as the starting QB through the remaining three weeks of the season.
“I’m the same person regardless, so, I still got the same belief in myself,” Sanders said.
“I would like to have the majority of plays back, for sure,” Sanders added. “They had a great defensive scheme, and I enjoyed playing against them. I enjoyed playing in that because, you know, it was definitely a little challenge, so I look forward to learning from that.”
Shedeur Sanders May Have Strong Future in Cleveland, NFL Even if Browns Draft QB in First Round
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com predicted Sunday on 92.3 The Fan that Sanders will be back in Cleveland in 2026.
“I think he’s shown enough traits now that there’s something to this young man and something worth building on here,” Cabot said Sunday morning, before the Bears blew out Sanders and the Browns in Chicago. “He’s done some remarkable things already, despite the fact that he didn’t start practicing with the starters before his first start four weeks ago.”
“There’s something here,” Cabot continued. “I just have a feeling that they’re going to analyze the whole thing and decide they want to move forward with him. I can’t say for sure, yet. But it sort of has that vibe, feels like it’s almost kind of trending in that direction.”
The team’s Week 15 outcome, and Sanders’ part in it, may have already changed that vibe. More struggles over the last three weeks of the regular season like those the young QB battled on Sunday will almost certainly change the vibe Cabot described.
That said, the Browns can keep Sanders and allow him to develop over the offseason and truly compete for the QB1 job in the summer, which is a chance Cleveland did not afford him this year.
Sanders is on a rookie contract as a fifth-round pick, so his salary is exceedingly low. And if he shows growth and improvement, but not enough to stave off a hyper-talented rookie coming for the starting job, Cleveland can then trade Sanders — probably for a better pick than it spent to acquire him back in April.
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