Shedeur Sanders put the NFL on notice after an impressive performance against the Tennessee Titans. The rookie QB completed 23 of 42 passes for 364 yards and accounted for four total touchdowns (three passing and one rushing).
That wasn’t enough for the Cleveland Browns to secure their fourth win of the season, but not all the blame can be put on Sanders if head coach Kevin Stefanski took him off the field at a crucial moment.
Shedeur Sanders, a bridge option
After his Week 14 performance, many analysts and fans shared their opinions on what the future may look like for Shedeur. ESPN’s Chris Canty offered an interesting point of view during a recent episode of First Take.
Canty touched on several points. First, he talked about why Sanders should remain part of the Browns’ QB room beyond 2025.
“I think he can factor into the equation for their quarterback room beyond 2025. I do think that Shedeur Sanders can help himself by what we see over the last month of the regular season, and what we got on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans was huge. You’re talking about a guy being able to mount a comeback being down double digits in the fourth quarter,” Canty said.
I think he can factor into the equation for their quarterback room beyond 2025. I do think that Shedeur Sanders can help himself by what we see over the last month of the regular season, and what we got on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans was huge.
“The throws that he was making, those are big-boy throws. The two touchdown passes in the corner of the end zone, back pylon to both your tight ends, and then Jerry Jeudy on the bang-eight – that’s a big-time pass play, a 60-yard completion, an explosive. The Cleveland Browns’ passing offense has been missing that for years, and Shedeur Sanders has shown that.”
Later, he labeled Shedeur as a “bridge option,” an important alternative for the Browns to rely on as their starting signal-caller while they search for their franchise QB.
“Is he a finished product? No, there’s plenty of room to grow. But I do think, as we get ready for a quarterback class that isn’t as strong as we initially thought it would be in 2026, having Shedeur Sanders as your bridge option until you find out what’s definitively next is not a bad way for the Cleveland Browns organization to go,” Canty concluded.
The Browns are most likely going to draft a new QB in the 2026 draft. As of today, NFL.com projects Cleveland to have the fourth pick, and we know the franchise’s history of looking for new stars.
The QB room still needs support. Shedeur has been better than Dillon Gabriel, but if he gets injured, the former Oregon QB doesn’t look like a reliable option for Stefanski and Cleveland.