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Shedeur Sanders, the Cleveland Browns’ rookie quarterback, finished at the bottom of a comprehensive quarterback ranking released by The Athletic, garnering assessments from 50 league executives and coaches. Sanders ranked 35th out of 35 quarterbacks evaluated in the 2026 tier system, receiving just one Tier 3 vote, 37 Tier 4 votes, and 12 Tier 5 votes from respondents.
Criticism of Sanders centered on accuracy problems across all three levels of the field and inconsistent decision-making capability. One unnamed defensive coordinator said, “I’d sleep like a baby if I got to play him every week,” while another coordinator noted he struggles with timing, coverage recognition, and footwork, adding “you shouldn’t lose to him.” An executive stated, “He’s inaccurate at all three levels. I can’t tell if he is going to get better, but there’s a huge gap between him and competent QB play.”
Sanders started the final six games of the 2025 season after winning his debut against Las Vegas, accumulating 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while completing just 56.6 percent of his passes. The Browns sought improvement in his accuracy and consistency moving forward into the 2026 offseason.
New Browns head coach Todd Monken has maintained that a quarterback competition will unfold during training camp, with Sanders facing challenges from Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel. Watson, ranked 31st in the survey, missed 2025 while recovering from an Achilles injury sustained in 2024.
One evaluator suggested Monken’s offensive expertise could provide Sanders a fresh start, comparing the situation to how Ben Johnson served as a reset in Chicago. The preseason opener against the Bears on August 15 will offer the first glimpse of how the quarterback competition develops under the new coaching regime.
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