After being selected with the 144th overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft last year, Cleveland Browns quarterback Chedure Sanders finally earned the starting job and was selected to the Pro Bowl. However, recent comments from the front office suggest it could be an uphill battle to reclaim the starting job in 2026.
Speaking to reporters, including Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com, Browns general manager Andrew Berry said it is “completely realistic” that the club will spend one of its picks in the 2026 NFL Draft on a quarterback.
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“Our inclination would be that if we add somebody to the quarterback room, it would be somebody that’s probably a young player. But I can’t tell for sure because I don’t know what happens over the next few weeks.
Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry on potentially adding a QB
He also acknowledged that he has met with former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson and would like to spend more time meeting who many view as the second-best passer in the class.
Some believe Simpson will be a first-round pick in April. There is a possibility he could be available to Cleveland with the 24th overall pick, which they acquired from the Jacksonville Jaguars, or they could move up from Round 2 (39th overall) to the end of Round 1 to try to land Simpson.
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One thing Berry made very clear is that whichever young quarterback Cleveland brings in, he will “compete” for the starting job. If the Browns see someone whose skill set translates immediately to playing in Todd Monken’s offense, they are willing to draft him and allow him to compete for the starting quarterback in 2026.
This isn’t the only bad sign for Sanders’ hopes of becoming the Browns’ starting quarterback this season. If Berry proves himself performance-wise and outperforms Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, Berry would not rule out signing Deshaun Watson to a new deal.
While Sanders finished ahead of Gabriel on the Browns’ depth chart at the end of the season, a change at guard looks very likely. Watson will be given a real chance to earn the job, and it now seems plausible that another young quarterback could be added through the 2026 NFL Draft.
Just two months after Sanders was named to the Pro Bowl and a few weeks after his connection with Monken, it seems likely the second-year quarterback won’t see much of the field this fall.
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