Shedeur Sanders is set to remain the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, but that may not last.
Sanders made his first start for the Browns in Week 12 and helped Cleveland beat the Las Vegas Raiders on the road. He will remain the starter in Week 13, but he may not be the long-term answer at quarterback for the Browns.
NFL draft analyst Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic predicts the Browns will select Fernando Mendoza with the eighth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to be their franchise quarterback.
“As with Simpson, a big playoff run against top-end defenses could go a long way toward easing some of the inconsistency/lack of data questions scouts have about Mendoza,” Baumgardner wrote. “Both quarterbacks feel like high-floor passers — they might not rewrite the NFL record book, but they’ll absolutely play winning football.”
Mendoza is the starting quarterback for the Indiana Hoosiers and is in the Heisman conversation. He’s thrown for 2,641 yards along with 30 touchdowns and five interceptions. He could very well be the franchise quarterback for the Browns.
Although Sanders had a good first start with the Browns, it’s still widely expected that the Browns will draft a quarterback in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Sanders is Confident He’s Browns’ Long-Term Answer at QB
Although many analysts expect the Browns to select a quarterback in the first round, Sanders is confident he is the franchise guy.
After his first start, Sanders sent a message to the fans saying the Browns’ offense will be dangerous if he’s given a full year as the starter.
“I think I showed a couple of great pieces. There’s some things I wish I could get back,” Sanders told CBS Sports sideline reporter Tiffany Blackmon. “But man, a win is crazy. It’s amazing, you know, after one week of practice. … So imagine, you know, what a full offseason look like. It get dangerous.”
Sanders helped the Browns pick up a road win, and he knew many people wanted to see him fail.
“Everybody starts in different places. And just because I didn’t get the summer reps, just because I wasn’t in the best situation for me to be prepared to go out there and execute … that’s how life is,” Sanders added. “Everybody is not in the best situation, but it’s no excuse. You gotta go out there and perform. There’s no choice, There’s no question. Nobody cares of this was one week of prep. Who cares? A lot of people wanna see me fail, and it ain’t gonna happen.”
The rookie went 11-of-20 for 209 yards, a touchdown, and an interception on Sunday against the Raiders.
Kevin Stefanski Explains ‘Focus’ For Sanders
Sanders is set for his second NFL start on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, and head coach Kevin Stefanski is focusing on certain plays to get him ready.
Stefanksi expects the 49ers to blitz Sanders heavily, so they are focusing on getting him ready for that.
“Well, obviously, like we talked about, made a big play versus an all-out pressure,” Stefanski said on Monday. “That’s going to be something that you always have to anticipate. Defensive coordinators blitz young quarterbacks. It’s just what they do. And we have to look at that as an opportunity certainly in the pass game to make big plays. So that’s a focus for us moving forward.”
The Browns are 4.5-point underdogs at home.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Shedeur Sanders Predicted to be Replaced as Browns QB by 30-TD Passer appeared first on Heavy Sports.