Either Shedeur Sanders or Deshaun Watson will start at QB for the Cleveland Browns next season.
The Cleveland Browns' QB room is Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.
Most people who cover the NFL believe Watson or Sanders will start for the Browns next season.
While speaking to ESPN's Kevin Clark for This Is Football, Browns first-year head coach Todd Monken revealed what excites him about Sanders.
"I think you see playmaking ability. I think you see a player that is confident in his skill set," Monken said. "So when you see that playmaking ability and inner confidence, you say, 'OK, there's something to work with there.' So I think that's the thing that excites you."
Sanders finished his rookie season with 1,400 passing yards, seven passing touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 169 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. He went 3-4 as a starter.
Sanders was named to the Pro Bowl as a replacement selection. He's one of the most popular players in the NFL because of who his dad is: Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.
"I do think what you see on tape are those aspects," Monken said. "A very young player that really didn't grow up in a pro-style offense. That's not his fault. ... Now, it's gonna be our fault if we can't develop them. Then it's our fault. Our job is to develop all the players that show up in the building and try to get the best out of all of them, create the best version of them."
While Watson and Sanders will compete in training for the starting job, Browns insider Zac Jackson of The Athletic feels "stronger than ever" that Sanders will start over Watson in 2026.
"I know the folks atop the Browns' organization publicly praised Deshaun Watson," Jackson wrote. "I wholeheartedly believe there’s excitement for Watson getting healthy and trying to come back from his injuries and previous failures in Cleveland.
"But I feel stronger than ever that Sanders, not Watson, is the favorite to win the starting job. Sanders is 24 and signed for three more seasons. He was never the team’s Plan A last season and might not be Plan A for the future, but giving Sanders every chance to win the job and make real progress is clearly the best option right now."
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