Browns predicted to ditch Shedeur Sanders for 24-TD mobile quarterback in 2026

Mike Moraitis

Browns predicted to ditch Shedeur Sanders for 24-TD mobile quarterback in 2026 image

Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Things have gotten more interesting at the quarterback position for the Cleveland Browns in recent weeks.

That's because Shedeur Sanders has been playing at an impressive level for a rookie since getting the starting job following Dillon Gabriel's injury, and so much so that the Browns have declared him as the starter the rest of the season.

That was the right move by the Browns, as it's quite clear Sanders has been playing much better than Gabriel was over his six starts and deserves a longer look.

If Sanders can keep this up, the Browns will have to decide if what will be a seven-start sample size is enough to move forward with Shedeur or if they're going to use one of their most valuable picks on another quarterback in 2026.

CBS Sports' Josh Edwards sees the latter happening.

In his latest mock draft, Edwards has the Browns taking Oregon quarterback Dante Moore with the No. 4 overall selection, which would essentially mean the Browns aren't moving forward with the Colorado product.

Dante Moore started as a true freshman at UCLA, so while it is true that he has been on an Oregon team with superior athletes to its opponents, that is not the full picture. Also, in a lesser discussed narrative, Moore was born in East Cleveland. There has been a lot of talk about him returning to Eugene for another season, but it would be tough to deny top-5 overall money after offensive coordinator Will Stein left to take the head coaching job at Kentucky. The door is open for Shedeur Sanders to earn an extended look as well, but the sample size is small thus far.

Moore is having another strong season, completing 72.5% of his passes for 2,733 yards and 24 touchdowns to six interceptions, which has led many to believe he's worked his way into the conversation as one of the top quarterback prospects, although he isn't a lock to come out of college.

The Draft Network describes Moore as a "mobile quarterback who has good velocity on throws with accuracy to all three levels of the field."

TDN is concerned about Moore's arm strength because he "loses some velocity on throws that are deeper down the field," and the outlet also points to Moore's "mechanics under pressure" as another area that needs work.

Outside of some legendary performances over the final four weeks of the year, we find it very hard to believe the Browns will pass up on a quarterback they love in next year's draft in favor of sticking with Sanders.

If that's the case and the Browns draft a quarterback following a strong finish to his season, Sanders is almost certainly going to be unhappy about that and then we'd have to start wondering if a trade might be in his future.

What Shedeur does have going for him is that next year's draft class isn't great for the quarterback position, so it's possible Cleveland just doesn't take one because they aren't thrilled with the options when they're on the clock.

There are so many layers to this that makes it one of the most interesting situations in the NFL once we get to the offseason.

What Cleveland does at the quarterback position is going to be one of the more interesting story lines this offseason, and that's before mentioning the Shedeur angle in all this.

More NFL news:

Staff Writer