Todd McShay reveals why the Cleveland Browns are better positioned to evaluate Shedeur Sanders and determine their future at quarterback following 2026 NFL Draft.
The Cleveland Browns still aren't sure who their starting quarterback will be in 2026. That answer is expected to come on the field over the course of the next several weeks and months as Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel are expected to battle for the QB1 spot.
Whoever wins the job, though, is in a much better situation than they were a year ago.
That's because team general manager Andrew Berry delivered a 2026 NFL Draft that prioritized fixing the key holes Cleveland had on offense.
Executing that vision started with the selection of Utah tackle Spencer Fano ninth overall, who is expected to be the Browns starting left tackle. Berry's next two picks at 24 overall and 39 overall respectively were spent on Texas A&M wideout KC Concepcion and Washington receiver Denzel Boston.
There's a general consensus from most NFL pundits that Cleveland put together one of the best drafts of the weekend, and draft analyst Todd McShay joined the wave of praise for Berry and company for the 10-player draft class he assembled.
McShay highlighted that for the first time in a while, there's a "promising feeling" about the future of the franchise.
Any success the Browns have in 2026, however, will ultimately come down to the team's QB play. McShay believes they're in a much better position to evaluate what they have at quarterback now than they were last season. That evaluation likely starts with Sanders.
"It didn't matter who was in their last year, they didn't have the cast. So you can't truly evaluate a quarterback until you have the pieces around him." said McShay via his own show. "You can actually evaluate Shedeur this year. You couldn't last year."
Of course, Sanders still has to win the job, but there is a general feeling that he and Watson are the two top candidates to come out on top. Sanders made the most out of a bad situation last year, operating one of the worst offenses in all of football for seven starts.
During that span he threw for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions, but showed plenty of promise commanding the offense and leading Cleveland to three of its five wins.
As McShay pointed out, he'll have much more talent around him if he wins the job from the outset this fall, which should give the Browns a better understanding of what they have at QB or if they need to pursue another signal caller in 2027.
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